10 of family drown collecting mussels in Karnataka river

At least 10 members of one family, including seven women, drowned and two are missing after strong currents swept them away in the Tatte Hakkalu river in Uttara Kannada district on Sunday. The group had entered the water near Shirali village in Bhatkal taluk to collect freshwater mussels, a seasonal livelihood activity for local communities. Police said the current intensified suddenly due to rains, and some victims drowned while trying to rescue others who were initially swept away.

Eight bodies have been recovered; two survivors, Nagaratna and Mahadevi, are hospitalised. The deceased include Umesh Manjunath Naik (40) and seven women named Laxmi. President Droupadi Murmu called the incident very distressing. PM Modi announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia from the PMNRF for each victim's family and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah announced Rs 5 lakh compensation per victim's kin. Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and opposition leader R Ashoka also condoled. Police are investigating the exact sequence of events and whether the victims could swim.