The personal staff of Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Rathnakar saved the life of five persons in a car that had slipped into a roadside tank near Beguvalli village in Tirthahalli taluk on Tuesday.
Uday Kumar, who runs an electrical shop in Bhadravathi had been to his in-laws’ house in Karkala in his four-wheeler. While returning to Bhadravathi, he failed to negotiate a bend near Beguvalli and the car fell into the water tank. Mr. Kumar and five other members of his family had thrust their hands out of the sinking car for help.
Mr. Rathnakar was travelling to Bangalore from his hometown Tirthahalli on the route. On noticing the car sinking in the water tank, minister ordered his driver to stop. Drivers Chandrashekhar, Krishnamurthy and gunman Halaswamy jumped into the tank and rescued Mr. Kumar, his wife Suma, mother Geetha, his eight-year-old son and his three-year-old nephew.
Mr. Kumar’s son Nishan, 15, had come out of the car through window and had swum to the safety of the bank.
Mr. Chandrashekhar told presspersons that by the time he could reach the car, it has settled on the bed of the tank.
“My colleagues and I opened the door of the car, pulled the family out of it and took them to the shore. Owing to the accumulation of silt and growth of water weeds, it was difficult to swim. The local people also cooperated with us in the rescue operation,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said it was like a re-birth for him and his family. “When the car fell into the tank, water began to gush into the vehicle through the windows. My efforts to open the door and come out of the vehicle failed. I fell unconscious. I thank the Minister and his staff for saving the lives of my family members,” he said.
