Mangalore, Oct 6, 2013: In a shocking incident reported from Baddodi Kudru near Tannirbavi on October 6, Sunday evening, five of the eight boys who had gone for a bath in the river met a watery grave.
So far four bodies have been recovered. They have been identified as that of Kalandar(14) and Prajwal(14).Rakshith(14) and Rajesh(17). The body of Yakshith is yet to be traced.
It all started as a trip to rehearse their roles for the Navaratri celebrations ended in a tragedy as three boys drowned and two others were feared dead in the Phalguni (popularly called Gurupur river) here on Sunday.
Legislators JR Lobo, Moidin Bava, former mayor Shashidhar Hegde and DCP Jagadish reached the spot and expressed their empathy. MLA J.R. Lobo said that the families of the five would be given compensation of Rs. 1 lakh.
According to reports, the boys had gone for a bath after practicing tiger dance at the river side when the mishap took place. Of the eight three including Jagadish and Marimuthu swam to safety.
Around 3.30 p.m., eight boys from Kodikal Katte, around 1.5 km by walk from the banks of the river, arrived there to practice Hulivesha. After an hour of practising in the sand, Rakshith went for a bath, while the others were by the banks washing up.
“After a while, we saw him flailing his hands and signalling for help, and five others jumped in. Four of them too started struggling with the currents, and I could not spot them anymore,” said Muthuraja, one of the boys who had been with them.
“Every year, Prajwal, Rakshith and Rajesh participate in the Hulivesha at the festivities at Urva Chilimbi, and they had also taken part in the recent Ganesh Chathurti celebrations. Kalander and Akshith were not performers, but as they were free, they decided to accompany the team,” said Avinash, a neighbour.
Kavoor police are investigating.