4 die as tractor falls into tank

TUMKUR: Four persons were feared dead and 18 others injured, three of them critically, when the tractor they were travelling in plunged into a tank at Ramalingapura village near Bukkapatna in Sira taluk on Monday.The deceased have been identified as  Santhosh, 9, Shilpa, 11, Rekha, 18, and Chikkavva, 60 - all of whom drowned in the tank.Three others who were critically injured were shifted to the NIMHANS in Bangalore. The others are recuperating at government hospitals in Sira and Tumkur.Women and children were the unfortunate victims as youths who knew swimming managed  to escape. Three such youths rescued some of the victims, sources said.The incident occurred at 10 am near the tank bund when the front left wheel of the tractor burst, leading to the driver losing control over the vehicle. The trailer, in which the passengers were seated, got disconnected from the engine, prior to its plunge into the lake. The victims - all of the same family - hailed from Janehaar village of Chikkanayakanahalli taluk and were part of an entourage of 36 persons travelling back home after paying a visit to the Mannemmadevi temple at Sakshihalli village in Sira taluk.The tractor driver Manjunath had a narrow escape and is absconding, Sira Circle Police Inspector Kanakalakshmi said. The tractor owner and other men were following behind in their motorbikes. DC Dr C Somashekara, SP T R Suresh and DySP Jagadish visited the spot.Chikkanayakanahalli MLA C B Sureshbabu and former MLAs J C Madhuswami and Kirankumar visited the spot and condoled the deaths.