A 15-year-old SSLC student was swept away in the Tunga canal opposite Eshwaravana near Abbalagere on the outskirts of Shivamogga city Wednesday, and was yet to be traced as of Thursday. Shivamogga : Fear and anxiety continue to grip Shivamogga district as search operations remain underway in the swollen Tunga River and its canals, where an SSLC student and two young sisters are yet to be traced following two separate tragic water incidents.
The incident comes days after two young girls were swept away in the Tunga River near Arakeshwara Temple on the evening of Aug 24 (Monday). The girls’ mother, Bhavani, who had arrived from Chitradurga with her three children, stated at McGann District Hospital that her daughters, Sanvika, 5, and Tanvika, 3, slipped and fell into the river while walking on the bridge to get a view of the river, according to police. Bhavani then jumped into the river along with her 11-month-old son in an attempt to save them. Local fishermen noticed a young woman from Tumakuru lingering near the canal for an unusually long time and alerted Kargal police and ERSS-112.
He stepped into the water first and lost control due to the heavy volume and swift current. Fire and emergency services personnel launched a search operation.
However, police said Sanvika and Tanvika were carried away by the strong current. Krishna , a resident of Bommanakatte and a student of a private school in Gopala, had gone to the canal with five friends for a swim. Though one of his friends attempted to rescue him, the powerful current pulled him under. However, high water levels have severely hampered rescue efforts. Two local youths, Dadapeer and Naveen, rescued Bhavani and her infant. Firefighters conducted intensive underwater and bankside searches for three days, but the two girls remain untraced. Kote police registered a case and are investigating. Amid the recent water-related tragedies, swift action by members of the public and police prevented another death at the Bidarur Canal under Kargal police station limits in Sagar taluk Wednesday evening. Officers from the emergency response vehicle (ERV), including Annappa, Sandeep, Purushotham, and Raghavendra, rushed to the spot and stopped the woman as she ran toward the canal to jump.