The two daughters of the missing priest of the Talacauvery temple were quarantined upon their arrival in India after their driver who ferried them from the airport to their home in Kodagu tested positive for the coronavirus. Their father Narayana Achar, the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple has been missing since a landslide struck their home last week.
Five people were missing following the landslide and the body of one person — Anandatheertha Swami, the administrator of the Talacauvery temple and Narayana's brother — has been found.
The two daughters, who live abroad in Australia and New Zealand, arrived on Monday and reached Kodagu in a taxi from the airport. They even visited the site of the landslide and met District-In-charge minister V Somanna. They made a desperate plea to the district administration and the Minister to speed up search operations for their missing father.
The taxi driver tested positive for the coronavirus following which the two women were advised to go into quarantine. The duo are now in Bhagamandala.
While minor landslides hit uninhabited areas of the district, a major landslide in Talacauvery left five people missing. The search for the missing persons was initially hampered by bad weather and lack of access to the affected area.
The rains reduced in Kodagu on Monday but there was no significant progress made in the search for missing persons in Talacauvery.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy confirmed over 300 houses were damaged in the rains that hit the district last week. Over 500 people were housed in relief shelters.
Kodagu district has reported 701 COVID-19 cases so far of which 262 cases are currently active.