The body of one of the five persons who went missing after a landslide hit Bhagamandala in Kodagu district on Thursday was recovered by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Anandatheertha (70). He and his brother Narayanchar, who was the priest of a temple at Talacauvery, the latter’s wife Shantha and two assistant priests, Pawan and Ravikiran, went missing after a portion of the hill caved in due to heavy rains in the early hours of Thursday. Their dwelling was flattened and there was no trace of the residents of the house following which a search operation was launched.
However, inclement weather conditions hampered any rescue efforts for almost 48 hours as Bhagamandala and surrounding regions was battered by heavy rains in excess of 400 mm during the last 48 hours. Besides, there were landslides along the connecting road which made it difficult for the rescue team to move their equipment.
However, on Saturday the rains abated a little and the NDRF team assisted by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) managed to reach the spot and launched a search operation during which the body of Anandatheertha was retrieved. Search operations for the remaining missing persons are on, according to the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.
