Four members of a family are feared drowned after they went missing in a river canal on Sunday, police said. The incident took place when the family was visiting relatives to attend a local jatre (festival)
in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.
The missing persons have been identified as Neelabai (50), her son Ravikumar (23), daughter Shwetha (24), and son-in-law Parashuram (28).
According to police, the family went to the canal to wash clothes when the incident occurred.
“Preliminary information suggests the incident occurred when they went to the canal to wash clothes. One person is suspected to have slipped into the water, and the others may have entered in an attempt to rescue them, leading to all four going missing,” a police officer said.
Rescue teams from the police, fire, and emergency services were rushed to the spot soon after the incident was reported. Search operations were launched immediately to trace the missing family members.
However, officials said the operation may be paused due to poor visibility.
“Search operations are underway to trace the missing persons. However, with darkness setting in, the fire services team is likely to suspend operations and resume them tomorrow,” police said.
