Mantralayam: Five people drowned after attempting to rescue a minor girl who slipped into the Tungabhadra river on Saturday, police said.
The girl, a local resident, was washing her feet in the river at about 4.30pm when she lost her footing and was swept away by the current, the police official said. Several men from neighbouring villages immediately entered the water to help. The girl was pulled to safety, but all five rescuers drowned.
Officers said they have recovered one body so far and are conducting search operations with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to locate the remaining victims. The deceased are from nearby villages, while the girl is safe.
Police said a case will be registered under Section 194 of the BNSS Act (death due to drowning) as the investigation continues.
(Inputs from PTI)