Search operations to look for the five missing persons trapped after a landslide in Kodagu began on Friday after an excavator cleared the path from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery, the site of the landslide.The missing people include the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple Narayana Achar (70), his wife Shantha (70), brother Anandatheertha Swami (87) and two assistants — Ravi Kiran (26) and Srinivas (30). Search efforts to look for them were initially hampered on Friday due to floods cutting off road access to the affected area.
A devastating landslide swept away Narayana Achar's house on Thursday morning and left five persons missing including his family members in Talacauvery.
According to local residents, Narayana Achar wanted district authorities in Kodagu to build a retaining wall near his house before the monsoon period. But district authorities told TNM that there were no proposals to build retaining walls in the area and that they had urged residents to vacate to safer locations.
.jpeg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
"A crack had developed in the Brahmagiri hill one year ago and geologists had advised residents living in the foothills to vacate to safer areas. Notices were issued to the residents including the priest and the last notice was issued 2-3 days before the landslide," Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy said.
Read: Talacauvery temple priest and family still missing after landslide in Kodagu
"The panchayat development officer had informed the priest months ago to leave the house for a safer location. Few others like me had also told him to leave the place until the rains subside but he was reluctant. He felt attached to the place because he was the priest in the Talacauvery temple and did not want to walk long distances to reach the temple," says Ravi Kalana, a resident of Bhagamandala.
The Talacauvery temple is dedicated to Goddess Kaveri and it overlooks a tank where water collects from a nearby spring. The ancient tank is considered as the origin of the Cauvery river by devotees.
Anandatheertha and Narayana Achar were respected members of the Kodagu community. Anandatheertha had worked as a school teacher in Mumbai before returning to Kodagu three decades ago. He was the traditional trustee and administrator of temples in Talacauvery and Bhagamandala.
Following the landslide on Thursday, search efforts were hampered by a lack of access to the landslide area. Ravi Kalana says it was nearly impossible to search the area affected by the landslide. This meant that excavators, which are needed to move the earth in the landslide affected area, could not be transported to Talacauvery.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy gave a grim prognosis when asked about the progress of the search efforts. She said that it will be difficult to begin the search till the rains abate. She added that the first task is to clear the path till Talacauvery from Bhagamandala and transport the excavator to the spot.
This is the third straight year landslides are affecting Kodagu district. Devastating landslides, mostly in Somwarpet and Madikeri taluks, left 18 people dead and over 7000 people displaced in 2018. Landslides in Thora and Bhagamandala left 18 more people dead in 2019. In Thora, search efforts for missing persons were called off 24 days after the landslide struck.