Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur

Kundapur, Jun 14: A 21-year-old college student went missing after drowning while swimming in the Suligundi Hirehole river at Beloor village under Thekkatte gram panchayat limits on Saturday, June 13. The incident occurred around 4:30 pm.

The missing youth has been identified as Samaraj (21), a resident of Garikematha and son of Nagaraj and Shivagami. He is currently a final-year BCom student at a private institution.

Strong undercurrent

Reports suggest that a group of seven friends from Saheberakatte had visited the area in the evening and were standing on the Konabage bridge, which connects Beloor and Achladi. Observing that the water level in the river looked low, Samaraj decided to venture into the water for a swim. However, a sudden surge in the water inflow created a powerful undercurrent, sweeping him away.

Search operation suspended

Following the mishap, the Kundapur fire brigade personnel and local disaster management team members Sukumar Shetty Delattu and Narasimha Bhovi launched an intense search operation. Despite utilizing boats and scanning the river for over two hours, the rescue team was forced to temporarily suspend the operation late Saturday evening due to heavy monsoon rains and deteriorating visibility caused by the overcast weather.

Kota police station house officer Praveen confirmed that renowned diving expert Eshwar Malpe will join the rescue teams to spearhead the search operation on Sunday, June 14. Hundreds of anxious villagers gathered at the riverbank as news of the incident spread through the locality.