Bengaluru: More than 10 days after a worker went missing inside the Balagere sewage treatment plant (STP), rescue teams recovered what are believed to be parts of his body late Thursday. However, the search operation will continue.Fire department sources said rescuers recovered a thigh and an arm during operations Thursday night. The remains are believed to be those of Akhilesh, 30, a worker from Bihar who went missing after falling into the sewage treatment facility on June 18 while on duty. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is yet to officially confirm the development.Police have directed rescue teams to continue the search, stating that the recovered remains are insufficient to formally conclude the case. Sources said investigators are seeking additional remains, including the skull, before calling off the operation.The recovery follows days of intensive efforts by personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire and emergency services, police, and BWSSB. Teams have spent the past week cutting through concrete slabs, dewatering compartments, and manually searching through sewage, sludge, and accumulated waste inside the facility.Rescuers earlier described the operation as one of the most challenging they had encountered. Thick layers of silt, plastic waste, sewage sludge, and biomedical waste inside interconnected chambers hampered the search. Continuous inflow of water and intermittent rainfall further complicated efforts, forcing teams to repeatedly drain sections before resuming work.After the recovery of body parts, operations were briefly suspended before resuming Friday morning.Akhilesh and Akilan (29), a mechanical supervisor from Tamil Nadu, fell into the BWSSB-operated STP while inspecting a section of the facility at the end of their shift. Akilan’s body was recovered on June 20 and later handed over to his family.
