Rescuers cover 35 km of drain in search of missing man

 The BBMP on Tuesday intensified its search operation for the missing excavator operator Shantha Kumar by roping in more than 350 people.

He was swept away in a stormwater drain near Kurubarahalli during a heavy downpour on May 20.
With Shantha Kumar remaining untraceable even after three days, chances of his survival are bleak. Around 60 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (STRF) and Fire and Emergency Services personnel continued their search. They were assisted by many BBMP gangmen. They travelled around 35 km all along the stormwater drain from Kurubarahalli but in vain.

Mayor G Padmavathi too visited the spot with senior Palike officials to oversee the rescue operation, which started on Tuesday at 7 am and went on for 12 hours. The Mayor told reporters that the NDRF and SDRF personnel left no stone unturned to trace the missing person.

“These personnel covered a very long distance but the man was not found anywhere. It seems he might have been trapped under the silt. Monday night’s rain too wreaked havoc, making the search operation difficult,” she said. She spoke to NDRF officer Keshav and regional fire officer Ramakrishna about the progress in the search operation. She thanked them for their tireless efforts to trace the missing person. She asked them to take the help of experts.