Karwar (Karnataka), May 25 (IANS) The death toll in the shellfish tragedy, in which members of a family drowned while collecting shellfish in a river in Karnataka’s Karwar district, has risen to 11 on Monday.

The body of Mahadev Nayak, who had gone missing while collecting shellfish at Alvekodi in Bhatkal, has been recovered, taking the total death toll in the tragedy to 11, said officials.

The body was recovered during a joint operation carried out by the NDRF team and the team led by Eshwar Malpe. Out of the 11 people, the bodies of 10 victims were recovered on Sunday. Locals had earlier rescued three people.

Condoling the deaths, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation each for the families of the deceased persons.

The Chief Minister said, “I am deeply saddened to learn about the tragic incident near Tattehakkalu coast in Bhatkal of Karwar district, where members of the same family drowned while they had gone to collect shellfish. I pray for the eternal peace of the departed souls. This is an extremely unfortunate and painful incident. On humanitarian grounds, the State Government will provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy,” Siddaramaiah wrote in a post on X.

Among the deceased, eight people were identified as Lakshmi Madev Naik (38), Lakshmi Shivaram Naik (39), Malati Jattappa Naik (38), Mastamma Manjunath Naik (43), Lakshmi Naik, Lakshmi Annappa Naik (44), Jyoti Naik and Umesh Manjunath Naik.

All the victims belonged to the same family and were residents of Sharadahole in Padushirali village near Shirali in Bhatkal taluk.

The tragic incident occurred in the Tattehakkalu river near Bhatkal in Karwar district. According to officials, a group of 14 people had entered the river to collect shellfish when several of them got trapped in deep water.

According to police, people in coastal regions often venture into rivers or shallow sea areas to collect shellfish when water levels recede. The family had similarly gone to the Tattehakkalu river for collecting shellfish.

Preliminary information suggests that they may have unknowingly entered a deeper portion of the river, leading to the tragedy.

Karwar Deputy Commissioner K. Lakshmi Priya said that a team of 14 people had gone to the river. NDRF personnel had rushed to the spot. Local police also conducted rescue operations.

–IANS

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