Two persons were suspected to have been washed away in the Tungabhadra near Bagwadi in Sirguppa talk of the district during the early hours of Friday. The incident occurred when they were extracting sand from the river. Their names were given as Rafique (35) and his son Isaac (6).
According to police, four persons, all residents of first ward in Sirguppa, had gone with bullock carts to extract sand. They might have been caught unaware by the water released from the dam approaching them with force. Saddam (23) and Mehaboob (15) managed to swim to safety after untieing the oxen. Rafique and his son are suspected to have been washed away.
On getting the information, Tahsildar Sunita and police and Fire and Emergency Service personnel reached the spot and began rescue operations. Local fishermen were also pressed into service to comb the area.
Efforts to find the missing persons are still going on.
