SIRSI: Five persons of a family drowned in the Shalmala River near Sirsi on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased are Salim 44, Umar Siddiqui, 14, Nadia Sheikh, 22, Nabhil, 22 and Misbah, 21, all residents of Sirsi.
After reaching the spot, they went to have a bath in the river and were washed away. The other family members who witnessed the incident, called the police. A rescue operation was launched and two bodies were recovered late at night.
According to police, one of the deceased Nadia was married to a man from Hassan two weeks ago and the family had arranged a party for the groom’s family who came from Hassan.
“As many as 30 of them came for the picnic. The five entered the river for a bath when the tragedy struck,” said the police.