Five killed, two missing in landslide in Uttara Kannada
The state government on Tuesday announced financial compensation of ₹5 lakh to each victim’s family.
Five bodies have been found and two more are feared dead in a landslide on National Highway 66 near Shirur village in Ankola taluk, on Tuesday morning, Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner Lakshmipriya said.
The officer said that five bodies have been recovered and two more people were yet to be found. Of the five bodies, four have been identified as Lakshman Naik (45), Shanti Naik (36) Avantika (6) and Roshan (11). They are members of same family. One body has been identified as Jagannath (55) but it is yet to be ascertained who was he, Lakshmipriya said
She said Shanti Naik was found approximately a hundred metres away in the Gangavali river, which had swollen due to heavy rains and also with the addition of large amounts of mud from a nearby hill.
On Tuesday evening, Lakshmipriya said the dead bodies of Lakshman and Jagannath were recovered from the river, about a kilometre away from the incident site.
“The operation to lift the debris of the hill that collapsed on the two house-cum-tea stalls is ongoing,” she said, adding that the two others, trapped in the debris, are likely dead as the mud and boulders that fell on them are more than 10-feet high.
Addressing the assembly, revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda said: “Three crew members of LPG gas tankers, two of which were loaded, had parked their vehicles to have tea. Two of the tankers fell into the Gangavali river after being hit by large boulders. The tankers floated about 200 metres down the river due to the strong current caused by heavy rainfall,” he said.
Stating that there is no confirmation on the total number of deaths, he added: “The driver and cleaner were washed away, and search operations are ongoing. The hill and the houses that were affected are located within a 100-metre width between the highway and the Gangavali river. All the rivers, including Gangavali, are overflowing due to the incessant rains over the past week. This situation demonstrates how high the river flow is, as even gas-loaded tankers were carried away by the current.”
The affected families had been running small tea stalls selling light snacks like tea and biscuits to tourists for many years. Several vehicles parked near the stalls were damaged by the falling mud and boulders.
Uttara Kannada superintendent of police Narayan M said that firefighters and emergency services, assisted by expert swimmers, are searching for the missing truck crew. Narayan informed reporters that one body from the deceased family was recovered about a kilometre from the incident site. “Based on initial reports, nine people were trapped in the mud, but the exact number will be known once rescue operations are completed,” he said, adding that at least 24 hours are needed to clear the fallen debris, which includes wet mud and large boulders.
In response to the disaster, the state government has announced financial compensation of ₹5 lakh to each victim’s family. Gowda expressed condolences, saying, “The government mourns this untoward incident and stands with the grieving families. We announce ₹5 lakh compensation for each deceased family member, including the gas tanker driver whose body was found late in the evening.”
In a separate incident, another landslide was reported near Baskeri in Honnavar taluk, blocking traffic on National Highway 69 early on Tuesday. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck for about ten hours while crews worked to clear the road of boulders and wet mud that had fallen over a stretch of approximately a hundred metres.
The landslide disrupted traffic on a major route connecting cities like Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Mangaluru, and states such as Kerala and Goa. The heavy rains have prompted the Uttara Kannada district administration to declare a holiday for all educational institutions up to the second PUC (Pre-University College, 12th grade).