Five drown in Cauvery River near Muthathi; bodies recovered

MANDYA: Five people, including four women, drowned in the Cauvery River near Muthathi in Malavalli taluk on Wednesday evening, a senior police officer said. The deceased have been identified as Chaitra (20), Shwetha (38), Vijayamma (50), Priyanka (28), and Mahesh.

The victims belonged to Byadarahalli in Channapatna taluk and had visited Muthathi and the Mutteththaraaya Temple. Between 5 and 6 pm, they entered the river to swim and take photos when they were swept away by the current, Mandya Superintendent of Police V J Shobha Rani confirmed.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel, along with local residents, carried out a search operation and recovered all five bodies from the river, the SP said. The bodies have been shifted to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) Hospital for postmortem.

The Halagur police visited the spot and conducted an inspection. A case has been registered under the Halagur police station limits. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)