The Hindu : Front Page : Six drown as tractor falls into Hemavathy canal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Six drown as tractor falls into Hemavathy canal

Staff Correspondent

They were on their way to work when the accident occurred

OPERATION RETRIEVE: The tractor that fell into the Hemavathy canal at Karnankuppe in Tumkur taluk on Friday. — Photo: KPN

TUMKUR: Six daily-wage workers, including five women, drowned in the Tumkur Hemavathy Canal at Karnankuppe (Kankuppe) in Tumkur taluk on Friday.

They were among the 15 workers from Karnankuppe, who were going to work when the tractor by which they were travelling fell into the canal.

Water was flowing at a height of 12 ft. in the 18 ft. canal.

Siddaraju, one of them, said, "I managed to climb atop the submerged tractor and helped six others move to safety. They helped two others. Nine of us, including the driver, managed to come out of the canal.''

Police and Fire Force personnel struggled for five hours to recover the bodies of six workers.

A crane, an excavator and fire tenders were pressed into service.

Dam gates closed

Engineers in charge of the canal closed the gates of the Bugudanahalli Reservoir and helped in reducing the level of water in the canal.

T.L. Ramakrishna, Forest Officer, who led the operation, said, "The water level could not be reduced below six ft. The bodies were found 300 metres away from the spot where the accident occurred."

The police gave the names of the dead as Nagamma (30), Lakshmi (30), Shivamma (40), Lakshmamma (40), Jyoti (30) and Gangadharaiah (45). Tumkur District Congress Committee president and former MLA S.P. Muddahanume Gowda mobilised local people for the rescue operation.

Mr. Muddahanume Gowda demanded that the State Government pay a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each to the kin of the dead.

Four killed in accident

Four persons died and five were injured when a van in which they were travelling rammed a tree at Kadenahalli in C.N. Halli taluk of Tumkur district on Friday.

Ten persons, all hotel workers, were going to Belgur from Bangalore to attend their friend's wedding.

At a curve, the driver lost control over the vehicle which rammed a roadside tree.

Three die in hospital

Three persons succumbed to injuries at a local hospital, the police said.

One person died while being shifted to a hospital in Bangalore.

The police gave the names of dead as Gopala (28) of Hiriyur, Venugopal (28) of Kolar, Seetharam (26) of Sira and Srinivas (25) of Gundlupet.

Manjunath, Deepu, Sriram, Chandru and Dinesh were shifted to NIMHANS in Bangalore.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page