When television channels broke the news of 30-year-old Arjun's disappearance in a landslide in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka on July 16, an inspiring wave of volunteers from Kerala surged to the rescue site. Clad in colourful uniforms, they collaborated with officials, cooked meals for others, conducted their own searches, and provided updates to the media, refusing to leave until Arjun and his truck were found.
With an excess of volunteers after a week of searching, the Uttara Kannada district authorities are discouraging people from coming to Shirur village, where the landslide occurred. Arjun, from Kannadikkal, went missing while driving a Bharat Benz truck carrying timber from Belagavi to Kozhikode on the Panvel-Kanyakumari National Highway 66. Immediately, several volunteer groups from Kerala, about seven in total, rushed to assist in the rescue operations. These dedicated volunteers remained steadfast, vowing not to leave until Arjun was found.
Biju Balussery is a stringer for Manorama News from Kozhikode district. However, he and his eight-member team arrived in Shirur not to report but as part of the 'Koorachund Rescue Team' (KRT). They arrived on July 18 and joined the search operations. “We had been part of rescue efforts during the Kavalappara and Pettimudi landslides in Kerala. We travel to disaster sites, bring food items, cook, provide food to others, and stay at the location until the mission is completed,” Biju explained.
KRT has 30 members, with eight currently camped at Shirur. “When we learn about such disasters through the media, we observe for a day to assess our scope of volunteering. We also need permission from the local MLA and district collector to go to other states. Only after that do we start our mission,” Biju said.
The rescue team members are trained and have district administration-approved identity cards.
“In Shirur, not much manpower was needed. When we arrived, the authorities provided us with some machinery, so we started with small-scale excavations. All the volunteers were accommodated in a hotel by local authorities,” Biju added.
The initial rescue teams at the site faced difficulties with food and water as supplies ran out within a few days. “News channels started reporting that the rescue mission was struggling without enough food and water. That’s when nearby residents started bringing food in vehicles. For the last two days, we’ve had plenty of food,” Biju said. The team includes people from various professions, such as engineers, drivers, and chefs.
Another 18-member team, 'Ente Mukkam', also from Kozhikode district, arrived at the disaster site on July 20. This team, which includes trained scuba divers, actively participated in the search in the Gangavali river. “Most of us are daily wage labourers. The team was started about 15 years ago, and I joined a few years ago,” said Niyas Mukkam. “We didn’t rush here initially because they required more machinery than manpower. So we came after the mud was partially removed.”
The Ente Mukkam team focused their search away from the main disaster area to cover a wider region. “We skip our regular jobs for a few days to participate in volunteer work. We’ll stay here until we find Arjun,” Niyas added.
All the volunteers TNM spoke to have no plans to leave until they find some clue about Arjun. “One of our own is missing. We need to find him and bring him home. That’s our only goal now,” Niyas said.
On July 24, the lorry driven by Arjun was located at the bottom of the Gangavali river.