Sirsi (Karnataka): At least five members of a family drowned in the Shalmala river in Karnataka's Sirsi on Sunday, the police said. The family members had gone on a trip to spend Sunday vacation. All the deceased are from Sirsi city.
The deceased have been identified as Maulana Ahmed Saleem Khalil (44), Nadia Noor Ahmed Sheikh (20), Misba Tabasum (21), Nabil Noor Ahmed Sheikh (22) and Umar Siddique (23). On receiving the information, the fire brigade and police personnel arrived at the spot and conducted a search operation. The bodies of three people have been retrieved in the evening. A search is underway for the others, the police said.
At least 25 people from the same family had gone on a trip near Bhutanagundi on Sunday. In the meantime, a child, who came with them fell into the river while playing. Maulana Ahmed immediately jumped into the water, picked up the child from the water, and handed it over to his mother Nadia. However, leaving the child on the shore and coming out of the water, both Maulana and Nadia accidentally slipped into the water and drowned, eyewitnesses said.
The eyewitnesses further stated that three others of the same family jumped into the water to save them, but they, too, drowned. A case has been registered at Sirsi Rural Police Station. Shalmala river bank is a tourist spot while Bhutanagundi, the place where the incident took place in the river, is deep, and a signboard has also been installed to prevent people from getting into the water due to the slippery rocks.
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