A 23-year-old woman drowned on Sunday after a car she was traveling in with her family got stuck in neck-deep water at the KR Circle underpass.
Infosys Techie Dies
Heavy pre-monsoon showers lashed Bengaluru on Sunday, killing a 23-year-old woman after her car submerged at the waterlogged KR Circle subway. Bhanu Rekha, the deceased, had worked for Infosys in the city for a year and lived in Pragati Nagar, near Electronics City.
According to Deccan Herald, Rekha was on a tour of the city with her family, who were visiting from Vijayawada, when the incident occurred. Rekha’s mother Swaroopa, 47, grandmother Sambrajyam, 65, nieces Sohita, 15, and Samita, 13, and a relative, Sandeep, 35, were also in the hired MUV.
The Incident
Harish Gowda, the car’s driver, stated that the vehicle was heading towards Corporation Circle. He saw two auto-rickshaws enter the underpass at KR Circle and assumed he could drive through as well.
Passersby started the rescue operation using the resources on-site after Gowda’s attempts to assist the family out of the car failed. Fire and emergency services personnel from the High Grounds station were also called.
Rekha was said to have died after ingesting a large amount of water. She was taken to St Martha’s Hospital on Nrupathunga Road, but rescue workers claimed that the hospital refused to give her immediate treatment.
“She was alive when we carried her to the hospital. However, the hospital staff refused to give her immediate treatment. They made us wait for nearly 30 minutes stating that she was brought dead,” Abdul Majid, who drove the auto-rickshaw to the hospital, said. Quoted DH.
According to witnesses, the subway was flooded in minutes. They claimed that while five of the passengers were able to get out of the car and call for help, Rekha was trapped inside the submerged vehicle.
When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah learned of the incident, he rushed to the hospital to assess the situation. He announced a Rs 5 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased, as well as free treatment for those admitted to the hospital.
“The family from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh had hired a car and come to see Bengaluru. Bhanurekha 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 NDTV.
