Uttara Kannada, Jul 18 (IANS): Three bodies were recovered in the landslide-affected area in Shirur in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district where at least 15 more people were feared trapped under the debris, said officials on Thursday.

With this, the total number of bodies recovered so far has risen to seven. The authorities continued the rescue operations on the third day.

The deceased have been identified as five-year-old Avantika, 45-year-old Murugan, and 55-year-old Chinna. Avantika was the daughter of Laxman Naik, the tea shop owner, whose entire family was wiped out in the tragedy.

Sources stated Murugan and Chinna were drivers of gas tankers from Tamil Nadu. These bodies were recovered by authorities 35 to 40 kilometres away in the Gangavali River, near the surrounding areas of the Hindu pilgrimage centre Gokarna.

Authorities explained that they had obtained the GPS location of a Benz car in which a family was travelling and a truck that was under the debris. The driver of the truck has been identified as Arjun. An island has formed in the Gangavali River, and many people are suspected to be trapped there.

The incessant rain has hampered the rescue operations, and multiple landslides have been reported in the region, including the highway.

A week of incessant rainfall in the area triggered the landslide. The fire department, emergency services, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel are engaged in a search operation.

A tea shop and an adjacent house located close to the Gangavali River collapsed, burying and washing away those who had gathered to drink beverages and also the entire family of the tea shop owner. Following the landslide, one of the trucks parked near the shop fell into the river and was washed away.

The bodies of the tea shop owner Laxman Naik, his wife Shanthi Naik, their son Roshan, their daughter Avantika, two truck drivers, and one unidentified man have been retrieved so far.