
MANDYA: Two persons died, while one was rescued by villagers after the car in which they were travelling plunged into the Visvesvaraya Canal in Tibbanahalli village near Machahalli in Mandya taluk on Monday afternoon. The fire service personnel and swimmers are searching for the fourth person who is missing.
The police said the deceased had gone to Kalenahalli village in Pandavapura on work and were returning to Mandya in an Indica car when the driver lost control of the wheel.
‘Locals jumped into canal and rescued Nayaz’
The vehicle plunged more than 30 feet into the canal around 12.30 pm. The victims are Nayaz (42), Fayaz (42) aka Battery, Peer Khan (40) and Aslam Pasha (45), all residents of Halahalli village in Mandya taluk,
The locals who saw the accident jumped into the water and rescued Nayaz. Some also alerted the police and fire personnel, who arrived and deployed motorised dinghies. Just a few minutes later, they fished out Fayaz’s body. Later, cranes were summoned to pull the car out of the canal and the body of Aslam Pasha was found inside the vehicle.
He might have drowned as he could not open the door, the police said. Meanwhile, the search continues for Peer Khan, who is suspected to have drowned and washed away. The bodies were shifted to MIMS Hospital. SP Mallikarjuna Baladandi said the four had gone to Kalenahalli on work and were returning in the car when the accident occurred.
“The driver, who was driving fast, veered towards the canal, trying to avoid falling into a sugarcane field. The locals rescued Nayaz, while Fayaz’s body was pulled out of the canal. After the water level subsided, the fire personnel, with the help of cranes, boats and ropes, lifted the submerged car. The body of Aslam Pasha was found inside the vehicle. The search is on for Peer Khan,” he said.