Udupi (Karnataka), May 2: A fishing expedition turned into a harrowing ordeal as a vessel, setting sail from Malpe fishing port in Udupi, veered off course and became marooned on a beach 30 kilometres from its place of origin and a few nautical miles off the intended route.

The fishermen who were part of the rescue operation said, the incident unfolded when the vessel, manned by a crew of seven seasoned fishermen, embarked from Malpe port at the stroke of midnight on April 30. Tragically, the helmsman succumbed to exhaustion, inadvertently causing a critical navigational lapse that sent the boat adrift from its intended trajectory.

Initial reports indicated that fatigue gripped the entire crew shortly after their departure from Malpe. By the break of dawn on May 1, the vessel had unexpectedly run aground at Beejadi beach, approximately 30 kilometres north of its departure point, startling both locals and passersby.

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Subsequent analysis showed that the owner of the vessel was a resident of Kodibengre who had partnered with six or seven other people. There was conjecture that bad weather, marked by strong gusts, had something to do with the ship's veering off course.

Udupi fishermen’s association members who were a part of the rescue team told PTI that, luckily for the fishermen, the sea was calm, that the vessel did not veer away into deeper sea and the engine was in good condition.

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Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.

The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.

"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.

The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.

There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.

Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.

The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.