Bengaluru: Woman dies after car gets stuck in flooded underpass

A 23-year-old woman drowned after a car she was travelling in with her family got stuck in neck-deep water at KR Circle underpass in Bengaluru on Sunday, which is just a stone's throw from Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka.

With the help of people who had rushed to save those stranded in the flooded subway in the centre of the city, firefighters and emergency officials freed five more members of the family and the driver. The woman, identified as Bhanurekha, and the others were brought to St Martha's Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

After learning about the event, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raced to the hospital to assess the situation. He offered Rs 5 lakh compensation for the relatives of the deceased, as well as free treatment for those admitted to the hospital.

"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.

Those present stated that the car driver attempted to speed across the water but ended up submerged. The water level began to rise as a result of the heavy rain and hailstorm. People nearby came to the family's aid as they began to plead for help, according to the news agency PTI.

The water level began to rise as a result of the downpour and hailstorm. People nearby rushed to the family's help as they began to plead for help.

They tossed sarees and ropes to stay afloat. Those who were stranded attempted but failed to climb up. Two of them were dragged out by emergency personnel swimmers, while others were brought out using a ladder.

The survivors were rushed to the hospital where they found Bhanurekha dead. Loud mourning ensued at the hospital when the survivors saw the lifeless body of their family member.

An autorickshaw was also trapped at KR Circle and a woman passenger saved her life by climbing on top of the vehicle. The rescuers saved her too.

Meanwhile, numerous vehicles became stuck in another wet underpass near Majestic, also in the city core. People battled to get out of their cars.

Many people have complained that the area floods whenever there is significant rain in the city, and no precautions have been implemented to avoid this.

Rainwater also penetrated several houses as a result of the city's sudden downpour.

Water flowed into houses in Mahalakshmi Layout, a premium section of the city, ruining furniture, technological goods, and stored food grains.

Several other locations, including posh suburbs like Malleswaram and Rajaji Nagar, as well as Srirampuram, certain areas in Kengeri, Mysuru Road, and several other low-lying regions, were waterlogged.

Several trees fell in various areas, damaging homes and automobiles.  After trees fell, traffic was thrown out of whack.

"We are getting complaints of waterlogging, and trees crashing from all over Bengaluru," a Bengaluru civic agency official told PTI.

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