Karnataka: 30 people, including 8 minors, killed while a bus plunges into the Cauvery Canal in Mandya

In a heartbreaking accident, at least 30 people lost their lives on Saturday following the fall of a bus carrying them into a river channel in Mandya District, Karnataka.

Among the victims were 15 women and 8 minors. According to local police, the incident occurred around noon in the village of Kanaganamaradi, near the town of Pandavapura, when the bus skidded off the bridge and fell into the Cauvery River Canal.

According to an eyewitness, the 40-seat bus was en route to Pandavapura for Mandya when the driver apparently lost control of his steering wheel. As a result, the bus veered and fell into a channel 20 feet deep, which has no retaining wall.

Firefighter divers recovered the bodies of 30 passengers – 15 women, 7 men and 8 miners – from the bus before it was lifted by a crane from the Visveswaraya canal.

Among the victims were some of the victims as they were returning home after leaving school and colleges where there were half-day classes on Saturday.

The crash site is about 120 km from Bengaluru on the national road leading to Mysuru after Mandya town.

Road traffic on the national highway was disrupted and relief operations were disrupted, as hundreds of people from the surrounding area invaded the scene of the crash to see the bus plunged into the canal.

Another witness said that a dozen bus passengers had survived the accident by getting off the bus dive and had swam up to the canal bank.

Senior Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who went to the scene of the accident to announce his death, announced an ex-gratia of 5 lakhs each to the relatives of the 30 victims.

"A gratu 5 lakhs would be paid to the families of the victims who lost their lives in this tragic accident," said the prime minister's office.

"This is a tragic incident, I pray for the peace of the souls of the dead and the strength of their families to bear the loss," Kumaraswamy said in a statement.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister of Transport, D.Chammera and District Minister C. Puttarajau, also attended the scene of the accident with the Assistant District Commissioner, N, Manjushri, and Superintendent of Police, S.Para Devaraj, to console bereaved families and oversee rescue operations.

The district police registered a complaint against the bus driver and his operator for these deaths.

"We booked a case of negligence and reckless driving against the driver and the bus owner to investigate the case." The bus operator was summoned for the investigation " Devaraj told reporters later in Mandya.

A team of 20 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and specialized divers participated in the rescue operation to retrieve the bodies and to get the bus out of the area. channel.

"We asked the river authorities to stop the flow of water in order to speed up relief operations and lift the canal bus," Puttaraju said.

The artificial channel was built to provide water from the river to the agricultural fields of the district.

(With IANS entries)