Six Drown in Markonahalli Dam Backwaters
Tumakuru
A pleasure trip turned tragic when six people drowned in the backwaters of the Markonahalli Dam near Kunigal in Tumakuru district on Tuesday evening. One person was seriously injured in the incident.
According to police sources, a group of 15 individuals had travelled to Magadi Palya to visit the residence of Amruthur Police Station ASI Jilani. They reached his home by bikes and an Omni van, had lunch together, and later decided to visit the nearby Markonahalli Dam for a casual outing. Once there, 12 members of the group entered the water to play and cool off. Unfortunately, six of them were swept away by strong currents before they could be rescued.
The deceased have been identified as Tabassum (42), Shabana (44), Mishra (4), and Mahib — whose bodies have not yet been recovered — and Shazia (25) and Arbin (30), whose remains were found later. Nawaz (22) was critically injured in the mishap and is currently undergoing treatment at the Kunigal Government Hospital. The victims, all residents of Tumakuru city, had gone to the dam on a casual holiday visit.
Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police Gopal, Purushottam, Kunigal DySP Om Prakash, and Amruthur PSI Shamant Gowda, visited the scene and supervised the rescue operations. Due to darkness, the search had to be suspended for the night but is scheduled to resume early Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. under the supervision of the Fire and Emergency Services.
