A 22-year-old woman drowned after her car was submerged in water in an underpass at KR Circle area in Bengaluru on Sunday, reported The Indian Express.
The dead woman has been identified as Bhanurekha, an employee of tech giant Infosys. The tragedy occured after heavy rain lashed the city on Sunday afternoon.
Fire and emergency services personnel saved five members of her family as well as the driver with the help of residents, reported PTI. Bhanurekha was taken to St Martha’s Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital and declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the relatives of the victim.
Siddaramaiah told reporters that the family was from Vijayawada.
“They had rented a car and were touring the city,” he said. “Including the driver, there were seven people. There was a barricade to prevent people from entering the underpass. But the barricade had fallen over due to rain. The driver could have avoided the underpass. Yet, he entered it.”
As the vehicle went deeper into the underpass, water levels rose to the window of the car, reported The Indian Express. Due to this, the passengers could not open the doors to exit the vehicle.
The driver, Harish, told The Indian Express that two vehicles had just passed through the underpass before their car entered.
“Another auto driver, who was in front of the car, stopped,” he added. “If he had gone right behind the two vehicles, then I could have passed too. He waited for a bit and then asked me to go ahead of him.”
An official who was part of the rescue operation said that the woman died as she swallowed too much water. The underpass is around seven to eight metres deep at its lowest point.
Witnesses told The Indian Express that vehicles continued to enter the underpass even after the mishap as barricades were not set up. An autorickshaw driver who was with a passenger had to be rescued shortly after the incident.
Heavy rain and hailstorms have left several parts of the city inundated. The India Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rainfall across interior Karnataka on Monday and Tuesday.
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