Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
A
22 year old woman who had come from Vijayawada to City for weekend site seeking with her family met watery grave when the cab she was travelling submerged in an underpass as water gushed in from both the sides.
The victim 22-year-old woman IT professional died after she and her five relatives got stuck inside a Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) which drowned in flooded water at KR Circle underpass in rain-hit Bengaluru on Sunday evening.
The victim,Bhanu Rekha,a resident of Bengaluru, breathed her last before reaching a nearby private hospital.
People who rescued the victims and rushed them to hospital alleged that Bhanu Rekha could have been saved if the hospital treated her immediately.
She was put in an auto and taken to st.Marthas hospital where she was made to wait outside for over five minutes.
When the others came to hospital and objected,the doctor took Bhanu inside the hospital emergency ward and after ECG declared her as brought dead.
The victim had come to cubbon park but it was closed and started to return home in a car.
While the car reached the underpass an autorickshaw moving ahead went after knocking down the barricades the cab driver Harish followed the auto but the auto returned back noticing water gushing in.
However Harish took the risk and drove away but the engine switched off in the middle and water began to surge.
Harish tried to open the doors but it was jammed he screamed for helpehile climbing on top of the car prompting people to come to his rescue.
Chandrashekhar and Rajshekhar reddy who noticed the car occupants drowning tried to stop vehicle to get support but in vain.
A QRT team along with a traffic constable on the spot jumped into the water and pulled out the car and the victims to the safety and rushed them to Martha’s hospital where Bhanu was declared as brought dead.
The family from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh had hired a car and come to see Bengaluru.Bhanu Rekha works in Infosys.
Due to the downpour,the barricade at the underpass fell down and the driver took the risk of crossing the underpass,which he should not have,”Siddaramaiah told reporters.
Six of them are now out of danger but Bhanu Rekha passed away before reaching the hospital.
BBMP chief commissioner who also visited the spot told reporters that the BBMP officials and traffic police barricades all underpass during rain however how the car got into the underpass is a matter of investigation.
The Halasurgate police have taken up case of unnatural death and are investigating.
The other victims samitha, 23, Sohitha,15, Sambrajyam, 65, swaroopa,47,Sandeep,35 and Harish were out of danger.
Meanwhile immediately Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah along with Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka,DK Shivakumar with Ramalinga Reddy accompanied with, BBMP Administrative officer,Rakesh Singh,BBMP Chief Commissioner,Tushar Girinath,Bengaluru City Police Commissioner,CH Pratap Reddy,Traffic Commissioner Dr MA Saleem,MN Anucheth,with others rushed to spot and took stock of the situation and later went to hospital to console the family members and announced ex-gratia worth Rs .5 lakhs will be given to the kin of deceased and a special committee will survey all underpass he added.
