BENGALURU: A weekend getaway turned tragic for four friends when two of them, both software engineers, drowned at Mekedaatu in Ramanagar taluk on Sunday. The police said that one of the deceased was trying to take a selfie when he accidentally slipped and fell into the Cauvery river. The other friend, who tried to save him, too got washed away in the strong currents, the police said.
The deceased have been identified as Sameer Rahman (29) and Bhavani Shankar (29), both residents of Bannerghatta Road, who hailed from Bidar. The deceased along with their friends Amit and Srikanth had gone to Mekedaatu on Sunday morning. The incident occurred between 10.30 and 11.30 am at the confluence of rivers at Mekedaatu. A police officer said that Sameer was trying to touch water and take a selfie when he accidentally slipped. Bhavani dived into the river to save him, but both were washed away in the strong currents.
Amit and Srikanth started shouting for help and the locals informed the police. After an alert, Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot with the rescue team. A senior police officer told Deccan Chronicle on Monday evening that the bodies were yet to be traced. On Sunday, the search operation had to be called off because of bad light. The search team will be joined by the fire National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel to intensify the operation.
Sathanur police have informed the victims' family members and are assisting the search team to retrieve the bodies. The river flows through a deep and narrow gorge in Mekedaatu. “As the water level has risen due to heavy rains and as the current is strong, it is extremely difficult for divers to search for the bodies,” an officer said.
