Bhatkal River Incident
Eight of family drown in Karnataka river while collecting mussels
Eight members of a single family, including seven women, drowned in a river in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district on Sunday after sudden strong currents swept through the area during a mussel-collecting trip, local authorities and media reports said.
The victims were among a group of 14 people from Shirali village near Bhatkal who had entered the Tatte Hakkalu river, also locally known as the Alvekodi river, to collect freshwater mussel shells, a common seasonal activity in the coastal region.
Police said the river’s water level rose sharply within minutes, reportedly due to heavy rainfall in upstream areas, catching the group off guard.
Six people managed to escape or were rescued by local residents, while eight others were swept away by the fast-moving currents.
Teams from the police, Fire and Emergency Services and local fishermen launched rescue operations, with divers continuing searches into the evening under floodlights.
Authorities said several bodies had been recovered, while two people remained missing as of Sunday night.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a post on X, described the incident as “extremely unfortunate and painful” and announced compensation of 500,000 rupees for the families of each victim.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences in apost on X and announced an ex gratia payment of 200,000 rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the families of those killed, along with 50,000 rupees for those injured.
“Deeply pained to hear about a mishap in Karwar district,” Modi said in a post on X.
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