Tragic death by drowning near the vented dam site at Ankudru

Report and Pictures by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media network

 

Moodubelle, 20 April 2010: In a tragic incident, a young man named Yamunappa aged 22 years, working at the vented dam site at Ankudru died due to accidental drowning at around 1.45 pm on Tuesday, 20th April 2010. Yamunappa was among four boys who had gone to wash themselves prior to the lunch in the downstream of the river. As the three other boys named Basavaraj, Siddhu and Magunda were busy washing themselves, Yamunappa boarded the small boat parked nearby and jumped from it ostensibly for swimming may be thinking that the water at that point may be shallow. According to reliable information, Yamunappa did not know swimming and was drowned. It is also believed that Yamunappa might have got stuck in the muddy bed of the river or might have been dragged  down by the whirlpool resulting in the tragedy.

As Yamunappa did not show up for quite some time, the other three boys got scarred and raised an alarm. On hearing the cries of distress by the three boys, Anil Singh, who was working on the site jumped into the river and brought out Yamunappa. However, it was too late, and Yamunappa could not be revived in spite of all efforts.

 Meanwhile, the contractor of the project, Mr. Vijayananda Shetty who was discussing with the visiting engineers of the project a little away from the site came to know about the incident and immediately informed Mr. Gerald Fernandes who was attending a programme in Udupi. He immediately contacted the Police Station at Shirva and Sub Inspector Ganesh visited the site of the incident for inquiry. Following the investigation, the body of Yamunappa was taken to the Government Hospital at Shirva for post mortem.

Yamunappa was one of the 23 persons working at the vented dam site. Most of the workers hail from Bagalkot in North Karnataka and have been staying in tents  at Beedina Gudde near Udupi since around ten years. They have been employed at the construction site of the vented dam at Ankudru. Yamunappa was the eldest son of  Mangalappa and Lakshmiamma.