Due to heavy rains a huge hill collapsed. In the landslide on National Highway-66 near Shirur town in Ankola taluk, Uttara Kannada district, seven out of 9 people were trapped and died under the mud. IRB company had excavated the hill for highway widening on NH 66, which, due to heavy rains, caused the landslide.Many more people are suspected to be trapped under the mud and the fire brigade personnel and NDRF personnel are engaged in rescue work to extract. When an LPG tanker was parked near a hotel on Highway 66, a hill collapsed and 9 people, including the driver and cleaner of the tanker, got stuck under the mud.
Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha MP Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri told the media that seven people have died. Seven people, including five members of the same family, have died, and the chances of survival of two others who are stuck under the mud have dwindled. An emergency rescue operation is being carried out to extract them. The landslide hit a car carrying five members of the family leading to their death.
A tea shop also collapsed, burying those who had gathered to drink tea there. The landslide pushed a gas tanker to the nearby Gangavali river, the sources said that the vehicle’s driver and cleaner, who were reportedly having tea at the shop at the time of the incident, were missing. One dead body stuck under the soil has been pulled out and the NDRF is continuing the operation to remove the rest of the dead bodies. “Rescue work is underway”, a police official said.