Marooned pregnant woman swam one km to save her baby

It was a do-or-die situation for Yellamma, who is in her third trimester. The sight of River Krishna in spate did not shake her will power to swim across and reach her native.

With her due date fast approaching, she decided to brave the inclement weather and fight all odds to reach her native, Gollapalleradoddi village in Hunasagi taluk.

For the last two weeks, surplus water from Narayanpura Basavasagara dam is being let into River Krishna, thereby turning most of the villages into small islands, severing all connection with the outside world. Yellamma swam for about a kilometre from Neelakantarayanagaddi village, with the help of a local diver on Thursday morning and reached her native safely.

Mother and child safe

She visited the hospital on Friday and the hospital’s medical officer Dr Satish Kumar Madabhavi told Deccan Herald that the mother and child were both safe, in spite of the dangerous feat.

The residents of Neelakantarayanagaddi said neither the officials nor the elected representatives ever visited their place. They were given a boat to cross the river, but not an oarsman. With no alternative modes of transport available, the villagers have to swim to even to shop for their daily requirements, they added.