Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru (SP)
Mysuru, Aug 27: All the six occupants of a Maruti Omni van, which jumped into Varuna canal that irrigates a large number of villages from Krishnarajasagar dam, lost their lives after the driver lost control over the vehicle. The accident occurred on Wednesday August 26, and the victims included two boys and three women.
Assistant head of Uco Spandana Juvenile Justice Institute at Belagola, Sr Nitya (40), who happened to be a resident of N R Mohalla in the city, Payadamma (50), assistant cook from Hospet, R Narasimharaju (35) from Taggihalli, Gubbi taluk, Tumakuru district, who was driving the vehicle, Sneha Patil (25) from Janatanagar in the city, who was the warden, and rehabilitated boys, Raju (10), son of Alphonse in HAL Extension Bengaluru and Akash alias Joseph (11), son of Manjunath from Gundlupet, perished in this accident.
The entourage was returning after washing clothes of the children housed in the rehabilitation centre in the canal. Although several other women, who were washing their clothes, rushed to the rescue of the victims, their efforts turned futile. The bodies of Nitya, Narasimharaju, and Payadamma were found trapped inside the vehicle. The body of Sneha, washed away in the canal, was found from near Belavatta village, about four km from the accident spot. Staff of fire and emergency services have been searching for the bodies of the two boys.
The centre provides rehabilitation facility to juvenile delinquents, orphans, young people involved with begging, and children who are out of schools. The centre has about 40 inmates. After the other children left for school, the four staff members of the centre had visited nearby Varuna canal for washing clothes. Raju and Akash, studying in fourth and fifth standards respectively, had remained in the centre as they were sick. As such they were taken along during the visit to the canal. The staff washed clothes in the canal, and spread them out on nearby bushes for drying for about two hours. At around 12.30 pm, Narasimharaju was trying to turn the vehicle towards the rehabilitation centre to go back, when the vehicle started to race backwards, ultimately plunging into the canal.