Four die after speeding car plunges into Visvesvaraya branch canal in Mandya district

MANDYA: Days after a man was washed away after his car fell into the Visvesvaraya Canal, four women, including a girl, died after the car in which they were travelling fell into a canal between Doddamulagudu and Gamanahalli on Saturday night.

The Volkswagen sedan fell into the Turuganoor branch canal on the outskirts of Gamanahalli village in Srirangapatna taluk. There were five people in the car, and the driver escaped unhurt.

The deceased have been identified as Mahadevamma, wife of Doddaiah of T Narasipur taluk Goravanahalli village, and relatives including Rekha, Sanjana and Mahadevi. The accident occurred around 8 pm on Saturday.

The deceased as Mahadevamma, her relatives including Rekha, Sanjana, and Mahadevi.

The four women died after drowning in the canal. Luckily, the car driver Manoj escaped unhurt. Locals and police reached the spot and fished out the bodies from the water.

Police suspected that the car may have hit the retaining wall of the canal and fallen into it as the driver lost control over the car due to speeding. MLA Ramesh Bandissidde Gowda, Deputy Commissioner Kumar, SP Yatish visited the accident site.

The family hired a car to go to Doddamalugudi from Goravanahalli to invite their relatives for a religious function that was planned by Mahadevamma’s family in Adichunchanagiri. A case has been registered at the Arakere police station regarding the incident.

Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the next of kin of each of the deceased. Along with this, minister Cheluvarayaswamy personally announced Rs 50,000 each as compensation.

Just two days earlier, Lokesh of Shivalli village was swept away after the car he was driving fell into the Visvesvaraya Canal near Thibbanahalli in Mandya taluk on Thursday. In 2018, 30 people had died when a bus fell into the VC canal in Kanaganamaradi village of Mandya district.