Missing sanitation worker yet to be traced; Search continues in Kerala capital

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 14 (PTI) A search and rescue operation is underway on Sunday to trace a sanitation worker, who was swept away while cleaning Amayizhanchan canal here a day ago.

Joy (47), a temporary cleaning worker, had gone missing while cleaning the waste-filled canal criss-crossing through the heart of the capital city on Saturday.

Joy and two other workers were engaged in cleaning the Thampanoor part of the canal near the Railway Station when the water flow increased due to heavy rainfall.

The search resumed this morning with the entire state machinery, including fire force personnel, its scooba team, police, civic workers and the NDRF men engaged in the operation.

According to official sources, efforts were on to remove the piles of waste and marsh accumulated in the canal to facilitate search inside the manhole.

State Fire and Rescue Services head K Padmakumar said it appears that there are side channels inside the tunnel.

“It’s not a straight one. We are holding discussions, analysing the map of the tunnel which is under the railway lines. There is a lot of waste accumulated in the side channels too,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister V Sivankutty and Mayor Arya Rajendran said intense efforts are on to trace the missing worker.

The minister also held discussions with Railway officials in this regard.

“Our priority is to find out Joy. The rest of the matter, including how the railway was dealing with the canal will be dealt with later. The District Collector has been entrusted with the task of probing the incident and file a report,” he told reporters.

A full team of medical experts are here to assist the rescue efforts.

“One cannot stand near the canal for more than 15-20 minutes. The rescue workers need to clean themselves and take medicines in regular intervals. The fire and the rescue teams are working tirelessly fighting all odds,” Sivankutty said.

Meanwhile, the state Health Department has deputed a special team to assist the rescue team members.

The medical team is at the site with ambulances equipped with oxygen and basic life support systems.

The health department also decided to provide medicines including doxycycline to the rescue workers to prevent water-borne diseases including leptospirosis.

The canal was filled with plastic and hard waste and the rains were hampering the rescue operation, officials had said.

The temporary workers, including Joy, were employed by a contractor who had bagged the contract from the Railways to clean the part of the canal that falls within its territory.

Joy was swept away while he was under a 200-metre-long canal tunnel which runs under the tracks at the railway station.