26 drowned in Karnataka bus mishap

BIJAPUR (Karnataka): Twentysix persons, including women and children, were drowned when a van carrying pilgrims for sight-seeing plunged into the Alamatti reservoir in Bagalkot district of Karnataka on Tuesday, police said.

Tragedy struck the victims when they were proceeding to the Almatti dam site for sightseeing after visiting the pilgrimage centre of Kodalasangama, police said. Three bodies had been recovered till evening.

Six persons swam to safety, police said. Efforts were on to pull out the vehicle, which was carrying 32 persons, with the help of cranes, district authorities said. Hundreds of villagers gathered near the site on a national highway and traffic was diverted.

Authorities stopped release of water from the dam which was almost full following heavy rains to carry out the  operation to recover the bodies.