Search on for missing tipper lorry driver

A search is under way for a lorry driver who went missing after a tipper lorry fell into a muddy pond at a quarry at Karukaputhur near Pattambi on Thursday morning.

The driver, Thahir, a native of Chathanur, was in the lorry when a mound of earth collapsed during quarry-filling work. The vehicle rolled backwards and overturned into a nearby pond, sinking into the mud.

Fire and Rescue Services teams from Pattambi, Shoranur and Malappuram have joined the search operation.

The quarry had been undergoing soil-filling work for about a month.

Thahir had worked in the Gulf before returning home six months ago. He had since been working as a tipper lorry driver.