Mandya, June 25: A family pilgrimage turned into a major tragedy as five people, including four women belonging to the same family, drowned in the Cauvery River near Muthathi in Karnataka’s Mandya district on Wednesday evening. The tragic incident occurred during a desperate and failed rescue attempt in a notorious stretch of the river known for its deceptive depths and treacherous underwater currents.

The deceased have been identified as Chaitra (20), Shwetha (38), Vijayamma (50), Priyanka (28), and Mahesh, the driver of the rented tourist vehicle they had traveled in. The victims were originally natives of Channapatna and were currently residing in Bengaluru’s Byadarahalli locality.

According to police officials, a group of six family members, accompanied by a four-year-old toddler, had left Bengaluru for a pilgrimage tour to Mandya. The group initially visited the Kabbalamma Temple and subsequently traveled to the Muthathiraya Temple in Muthathi, arriving at around 4:00 PM. After completing their religious rituals and prayers, the group walked down to the adjacent Cauvery River bank.

Speaking to the media, Mandya Superintendent of Police (SP) Shobha Rani stated that the group entered the river after their temple visit, mistakenly assuming the waters were shallow. On-duty Home Guards stationed at the river bank had reportedly warned the visitors not to venture deep into the river bed due to safety hazards.

“The group entered the water and began taking photographs and selfies. Near the river bank, the water level was only knee-deep, which led them to underestimate the actual depth and the extreme force of the underwater currents as they ventured further inside,” SP Shobha Rani added.

The police investigation revealed that Vijayamma was the first to accidentally slip into a deeper trench of the river and started drowning. Witnessing her struggle, Chaitra, the other women, and driver Mahesh immediately rushed into the deeper section to rescue her. However, they were all instantly overpowered by the heavy undercurrents and swept away in the river.

Another relative, Ravi, made a frantic attempt to save the drowning victims but was pulled back to safety by alert local residents on the shore. The four-year-old child escaped the incident completely unharmed.

Upon receiving information, Fire and Emergency Services personnel, along with local divers, launched a massive search operation and successfully fished out all five bodies by 7:30 PM. The bodies were shifted to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) Hospital for post-mortem examinations. The Halagur Police have registered a statutory case and are conducting further inquiries.

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