Techie dies in Bengaluru as vehicle gets submerged at flooded underpass

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the family

Heavy pre-monsoon showers that lashed Bengaluru on Sunday left a 23-year-old woman dead after the car she was travelling in submerged at the waterlogged KR Circle underpass.

The deceased, Bhanu Rekha, had been employed with Infosys in the city for a year and lived in Pragati Nagar near Electronics City.

Rekha was with her family — visiting from Vijayawada — on a tour of different locations in the city when the incident happened.

The others in the hired MUV were Rekha’s mother Swaroopa, 47, grandmother Sambrajyam, 65, nieces Sohita, 15, and Samita, 13, and a relative, Sandeep, 35.

The driver of the car, Harish Gowda, said the vehicle was moving towards Corporation Circle. At KR Circle, he saw two auto-rickshaws entering the underpass and assumed that he could drive through as well.

After Gowda’s efforts to help the family out of the car failed, passersby initiated rescue efforts with the resources available at the spot. Fire and Emergency Services personnel from the High Grounds station were also summoned.

Rekha had reportedly ingested large amounts of water which caused her death. She was shifted to St Martha’s Hospital on Nrupathunga Road, but people involved in the rescue efforts alleged that the hospital refused to administer 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. Rekha’s family also made allegations of negligence at the hospital.

‘Flooded in minutes’

According to witnesses, the underpass got flooded in a matter of minutes. They said while five of the passengers managed to come out of the car and call out for help, Rekha was caught inside the submerged vehicle.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who visited the hospital announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family and said the government would bear the medical expenses of others who were in the submerged car.

“Seven people, including the driver, were travelling in the car. Police officials had kept a barricade at the entrance of the underpass to prevent vehicles from entering. However, the barricade had fallen owing to the heavy rains. The driver should have avoided entering the underpass,” he said.

A source in St Martha’s Hospital told DH that the cause of death could be confirmed only after the autopsy. He maintained that Rekha was brought to the hospital dead.

"We received the alert about the incident around 4 pm. One rescue vehicle and a tanker were pressed into service. The water at the underpass was around 10 feet high. When the personnel reached the spot, five of the passengers were on top of the vehicle and two were inside. We managed to bring all of them out alive," said Ganesh S Vernekar, District Fire Officer.

Poor road management

Though Siddaramaiah said that authorities had placed a barricade to prevent people from entering the waterlogged underpass, those who were present at the spot said that it was hardly of any use.

“If the area was completely sealed, the car would not have entered the underpass. Given that this underpass is prone to waterlogging almost every time it rains, the authorities should have been better prepared,” said Mohammed, a passerby.

Even as the car that submerged was being pulled out, two auto-rickshaws were seen entering the underpass.

“Clearly, there were not enough personnel on duty to ensure that more vehicles do not get stuck in the waterlogged underpass,” said a commuter who was part of the rescue operation.

One of the auto drivers who entered the underpass, unaware of the flooding, said he was trying to avoid traffic on the overhead road.

“I was heading to Chamarajpet and did not know that the underpass was waterlogged to this extent. The passenger got down as soon as she observed that there was heavy waterlogging,” said one of the auto drivers. He was later rescued by the Fire and Emergency Services personnel. Later in the day, the underpass was sealed down.

Passersby do their bit

Passersby and commuters at KR Circle pooled in all resources to aid the rescue operations. From dupattas to wires, people tried every means to pull people out from the submerged car as they waited for the Fire and Emergency Services personnel to reach the location.

“A few women who were travelling to other cities also offered their sarees from their luggage. All did their bit,” said Bilal, an auto driver who was at the spot.

Many youngsters also jumped into the water to try to help the personnel on duty. “I was passing by and one of them asked me if I knew swimming as there were not many who could dive into the water. As a group, we tried to do the best we could,” said A Raj, who took part in the rescue operations.

BBMP to review 18 underpasses

Siddaramaiah directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to take immediate measures to ensure that none of the 18 underpasses get waterlogged again. He issued the direction following the death of the software professional at the KR Circle underpass.

Later in the evening, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar inspected KR Circle.

“We are preparing an action plan for all the 18 underpasses. We will immediately fix the drainage issues. Measures will also be taken to ensure that water does not enter the underpass, by creating humps around it. We will increase the drainage capacity to drain off water,” BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said.

Girinath held a meeting with senior BBMP officials to finalise the action plan.

The BBMP may temporarily close down the KR Circle underpass as it is not the only thoroughfare towards Hudson Circle.