Gadag, Jun 23 (DHNS): Fifteen people drowned and three went missing when two coracles in which they were travelling overturned in separate incidents in the Tungabhadra river in Gadag and Koppal districts on Monday. 

 
 In the first incident, reported from Gadag, 12 people  drowned in the Tungabhadra, when two coracles in which they were travelling overturned, reportedly due to heavy winds.  The incident occurred near Vitalapur in the Mundargi taluk of Gadag district on Monday evening. The victims included two children and three women.

The victims  were coming to Vitalapur from Magal in Hovinahadagali taluk in Bellary district, located on the other bank of the Tungabhadra. However, of the 12 dead, the bodies of only two were recovered till late evening. Ningappa Harijan of Tolali village in Shiratti taluk and Shantappa Totad of Sasalwad village, who swam ashore, alerted others about the incident.

It has been reported that people were forced to cross the river in coracles as the motor-boat here was out of service for  the last two days.

Fire fighting personnel, expert divers, and police are searching for the bodies.

In the second incident, a two-year-old girl and two women drowned while three people went missing when a coracle overturned in the Tungabhadra backwaters reportedly due to heavy winds near Hyati-Mundargi in Koppal taluk on Monday morning.

The deceased were Pavitra Panpanna (2), Yamanavva Pujar (22), and Huligemma Harijan (50).