BENGALURU: Four people drowned after their speeding SUV plunged into a lake at Tavarekere near Ramanagara on Sunday evening. The Fire and Emergency personnel brought out the bodies along with the vehicle after a two-hour operation.
The deceased were identified as Santhosh, Suneel, Raghavendra and Manjunath, all aged between 25 and 38 years. They were residents of Subramanya Nagar and R T Nagar in Bengaluru. Two of them were working as jewellers while the other two were employed in the catering business.
A senior police officer said the incident occurred around 4.45 pm when they were headed to Huliyurudurga to visit the Kambada Devi Temple. Suneel was driving the SUV owned by Manjunath. When they were passing through Devamachohalli, Suneel tried to avoid a stray dog which came before the SUV. He lost control and the vehicle fell into the lake.
The doors were jammed due to the impact and the occupants were not able to free themselves. They drowned along with the vehicle.
Passersby who noticed the accident, tried to rescue them before alerting Fire and Emergency services.
Jagadish Kumar, an eyewitness, recalled, “I called the ambulance and fire service immediately after I noticed the speeding SUV plunge into the lake. Another car was coming behind it. They also stopped and tried to rescue the SUV occupants, but couldn’t as it had overturned. One person was pulled out and a lady doctor who was in the other car, administered first aid. But he did not survive. Such incidents have occurred in the past too as there is a sharp turn and there are no safety measures. This is fourth incident in the last two years.”
The bodies were shifted to Rajarajeshwari hospital for autopsy. The families of the deceased have been informed and the bodies will be handed over to them on Monday.