Bengaluru: Woman, an Infosys employee, dies after car gets caught in flooded underpass
A 22-year-old woman died in Bengaluru on Sunday (May 21) when she got trapped in a car submerged in rainwater at an underpass. Heavy rain, accompanied by a hailstorm, lashed the IT city and left several trees uprooted and roads waterlogged.
The shocking incident happened just a stone’s throw from Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka.
The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for her family.
The woman, named Bhanurekha, an Infosys employee, was part of a family of six from Vijayawada which, along with the driver, got trapped in their rented car in the KR Circle underpass, during heavy rain. Media reports showed the vehicle submerged in neck-deep water. The place is just a stone’s throw from Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka.
According to witnesses, the driver tried to zip through the water, but the car got almost submerged in the middle of the underpass. The passengers came out in panic, trying to save themselves. But due to the downpour and hailstorm, the water level started rising.
#WATCH | Karnataka: Severe water-logging witnessed in an underpass in KR circle area in Bengaluru after heavy rain lashed the city.
Earlier, several people stuck in the underpass were safely rescued and taken to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/FB7IEbssR6
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರು ಸೇಂಟ್ ಮಾರ್ಥಾಸ್ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ಭೇಟಿನೀಡಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಕೆ.ಆರ್.ವೃತ್ತದ ಅಂಡರ್ ಪಾಸ್ ಬಳಿ ಮಳೆ ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿ ಸಾವನ್ನಪ್ಪಿದ 23 ವರ್ಷದ ಭಾನುರೇಖಾ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬದವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಮಾಡಿ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಹೇಳಿದರು.
ಇದೇ ವೇಳೆ ದುರ್ಘಟನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾವನ್ನಪ್ಪಿದ ಯುವತಿಯ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ರೂ. 5 ಲಕ್ಷ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಹಾಗೂ… pic.twitter.com/RH9QzjQpij— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) May 21, 2023
Those who saw their plight reportedly rushed to their aid at once, tossing sarees and ropes to help the seven stay afloat. Later, swimmers from the fire and emergency services department came and pulled two of them to safety. The rest were rescued using a ladder.
Negligence claims
Media reports said Bhanurekha was immediately rushed to St Martha’s Hospital but the hospital staff’s negligence led to her death. Witnesses reportedly claimed that she did not receive any medical help for at least 15 minutes. The cause of her death was stated to be drowning.
Karnataka | Trees uprooted in several localities of Bengaluru after heavy rain lashed the city. pic.twitter.com/ATt2PiJdBq
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
#WATCH | Karnataka: Heavy rain and hailstorm lashed Bengaluru city.
(Earlier visuals from Sadashiva Nagar) pic.twitter.com/31gtO537ka
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
Five others are currently receiving treatment at St Martha’s Hospital. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family and free treatment for them.
“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 reporters.
When reporters who were covering the incident complained that doctors refused to treat Bhanurekha, who was alive when she was taken to the hospital, Siddaramaiah said he would get it investigated and initiate action.
Chaos across city
An autorickshaw was also trapped at KR Circle, and a woman passenger survived by climbing atop the vehicle. The rescuers saved her too. Several vehicles got trapped at another waterlogged underpass near Majestic, also in the centre of the city. People struggled hard to come out of their vehicles. Many complained that the place gets flooded whenever there is heavy rainfall in the city and no measures have been taken to prevent it.
Rainwater entered several houses, too, due to the sudden downpour in the city. At Mahalakshmi Layout, a prime area in the city, water gushed into houses, damaging furniture, electronic goods, and stored food grains.
Many other areas were waterlogged, including posh areas like Malleswaram and Rajaji Nagar, as well as Srirampuram, certain areas in Kengeri, Mysuru Road, and several other low-lying areas. Trees in various localities came down crashing, damaging houses and vehicles. Traffic was thrown out of gear after trees fell.
“We are getting complaints of waterlogging and trees crashing from all over Bengaluru,” a Bengaluru civic agency official told PTI.
According to the India Meteorological Department, thundershowers are expected to lash Bengaluru till May 24.
(With agency inputs)
