DHNS
Chitradurga, May 21: Eighteen people, including 12 children, were drowned when the bullock cart in which they were travelling fell into a tank overflowing with rainwater near Machenahalli in Devasamudra hobli (Molkalmuru taluk, Chitradurga district).
The cart was returning home from a marriage ceremony On Wednesday when the mishap occurred. While two of them were taken ill, search for four others who had disappeared in the water was still on. Heavy rainfall in and around Rampura on Tuesday caused the overflowing of the Chinnahagiri tank.
Marriage between the groom from Venkatapura village and the bride from Machenahalli village was fixed for Wednesday. Both the villages are located on either side of the tank.
The victims had crossed the tank in the morning to attend the wedding in the bullock cart. As they were returning around 1.30 in the afternoon, the bullock cart was stuck in the tank, resulting in their drowning.
The deceased have been identified as Hanumanna (45), Lakshmi (16), Lakkamma (40), Nemakallappa (25), Maranna (13), Basanna (18), Mahalakshmi (13), Kollarappa (15), Thippeswamy (15), belonging to the Venkatapura taluk. The others are Anil (6), Soumya (4), Lakshmma (25), Dugappa (50), from Gollaninganahalli in Sonduru taluk of Bellary district.
Bellary district Mandragi village’s Swapna (15), Obaleswamy (1), taluk’s Pakrithiya Honnuramma (13) and Tammenahalli’s Shivamma (35) and Lokesh (15) were also amongst the party. The names of the four who are suspected to have drowned are not known.
CM condoles
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa expressed grief over the death of 18 persons in the mishap.
He has instructed the district administration to provide relief to dependents of the victims and asked the district in-charge minister to visit the spot and supervise relief efforts, a release from the CM’s office said.