Nation Pays Tribute to Kerala Lorry Driver Arjun After Tragic Landslide Recovery

Hundreds paid their respects as Arjun's body returned to Kerala after a search mission recovered him from a river two months post a fatal landslide. Heart-wrenching scenes marked his funeral, reflecting the community's deep sorrow. Officials and citizens united in grieving the tragic loss.

Hundreds of people queued for hours to pay their last respects to Kerala lorry driver Arjun when his mortal remains were brought to his native village Kannadikkal in this district on Saturday morning.

Arjun, along with his vehicle, went missing in a river following a massive landslide that had rocked Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka in July.

The body of the deceased youth and his lorry were recovered on Wednesday from the river, more than two months after the disaster, through a massive search mission.

Emotional scenes unfolded as the ambulance bearing Arjun's mortal remains arrived in Kannadikkal village. Friends, neighbors, and fellow drivers broke into tears as the motorcade passed, struggling to hold back their grief. People from all walks of life gathered at Arjun's house as his body lay in state for public homage.

''We believed till some days back that Arjun was alive and might be under treatment somewhere and he would come back...and never expected that his return would be in this form,'' said a teary-eyed neighbor.

High-profile visitors included Forest Minister A K Saseendran, Lok Sabha MP M K Raghavan, and MLA K K Rema, who paid their last respects. An emotional A K Saseendran admitted he had never seen such a huge crowd come to bid farewell to a person in recent times.

Raghavan highlighted the unity and determination of the community and authorities who worked together in a 71-day-long recovery mission, a rare effort in India's history. He thanked the Karnataka government for their support. The July 16 landslide on National Highway 66 ultimately claimed nine lives, including Arjun's.

Search operations, initially launched immediately after the landslide, were halted on July 28 due to adverse weather conditions, high river currents, and other challenging factors.

(With inputs from agencies.)