Water tank burst leaves five dead

A newly constructed water tank in front of Hazrat Janglipeer Saheb Dargah at Yapaladinni village in Raichur taluk burst out on Saturday morning, killing five persons on the spot and injuring four.

The deceased have been identified as Veeresh Raichuru (29), resident of Jawaharnagar, Raichur; Durugappa Pujar (38), resident of Thimmapurpete in Raichur; Huseinappa (24), from Gattu village in Andhra Pradesh; Manakapalli Shahajaan (35), from Emmiganuru village in Andhra Pradesh; and Juel Esan (45) from Odisha.

Hazarat Janglipeer Urus (fair), held annually, is extremely popular in the region and draws a large number of people from Karnataka and the neighbouring states. The Urus is held between January 1 and 7. In order to facilitate the visiting devotees, a 10-feet high water tank was constructed at the groundlevel in front of the Dargah.

After the tank was filled with water on Friday, due to inefficient curing, it burst due to air pressure, killing the victims who were taking bath nearby. The incident has left the devotees and the residents shocked.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel extricated bodies from the debris with the help of local residents. Senior police officials also visited the spot.

MLA Thipparaj Havaldar has urged the government to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the family members of the deceased. He said a probe would also be sought into the incident.
DH News Service