Three members of a family were killed after a tree fell on their car during torrential rains in JC Nagar, Bengaluru, late on 8 September. Another person is feared to have drowned in a stormwater drain. A search operation is currently underway in Sheshadripuram.
On 7 September, Bengaluru received 62.44mm of rainfall, accompanied by heavy winds. Most of the roads in the city were waterlogged, and several places reported instances of trees being uprooted.
Family Crushed Under Tree
Tragedy struck the family of five when they came to JC Road to repair a car on Friday evening. When it began to pour at around 8pm, the family parked the car by the road and remained inside.
It was then that a Eucalyptus tree fell on the car, crushing three passengers to death. “It was a very big tree and it crushed the roof of the car. People tried to move the log, but it was very heavy. Later, the fire and emergency personnel were called to cut the tree out, it took them over an hour,” said a senior traffic police officer.
Rescue personnel managed to save two children from the mangled car, while the other three members of the family died on the spot.
The deceased have been identified as Bharathi, 38, a home guard who had been deputed to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, her husband Ramesh, 42, and her brother Jagadish, 46.
Several trees were uprooted during the downpour.
The Quint
One Feared Drowned
Police say that Varun Kumar, an 18-year-old who is employed as a mechanic in the city, may have fallen into a drain in Sheshdripuram during the downpour on Friday night.
Police said the incident took place around 8pm, while Kumar was returning home, along with a friend. Waterlogging forced the duo to get off their bike and push it along instead. “As they were pushing the motorcycle, Varun dropped his bag in the water. When he tried to retrieve his bag, he fell into the drain. The search is on,” police said.
Also Read: Buried Under Garbage: The Storm Water Graves of Bengaluru
Rains Will Continue For Few More Days
Meteorological officials said that the heavy rains were caused by a cyclonic circulation above the Bay of Bengal adjoining Andhra Pradesh, a trough from Chhattisgarh to Tamil Nadu, and a trough from the Arabian sea.
The rains are expected to continue for at least four more days.
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