Four people were killed and three others went missing in a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains in the Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka, a senior officer said.
The landslide occurred near Shirur village in Ankola Taluk on National Highway 66 on Tuesday.
Seven people include four members of a family, Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya told ANI on Wednesday.
"There was a major landslide in Shirur in Ankola Talluk. There was a tea stall with five members: husband, wife, two children and one elderly person. The landslide had happened on the opposite side of the river. There were two houses, in which one person was missing," she said.
"So these six people and there were gas tankers, of which one driver was suspected to be missing. Of these seven people, we have recovered four bodies. Three people are still missing," DC Priya added.
DC Priya further added that, out of three tankers, two are unloaded. "So those two are safe. The one that is inside the river is loaded. It has gas."
DC Priya further added that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team of 24 members, including a fire service team has undertaken the rescue operation.
"We have the support of the Navy and Coast Guard, who are within the district. They have given us their safety gear as well as personnel to handle the operation. We also have this quick response team from the gas companies."
She said that the National Highway Authority of India is trying to clear one side of the road to allow traffic, which came to a halt following the landslide.
"As per NHAI's report, they are trying to clear one side of the road so that they can allow the traffic to pass, which will happen again depending on the rain. We expect it to be done in another 24 to 48 hours, but the entire excavation will take some time...," she added.
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