As many as nine of the 10 people who fell into the Ghataprabha were rescued in Avaradi near Mudalagi in Belagavi district on Sunday.
Search and rescue operations are on to look for another man who is still missing. They were all travelling in a tractor trailer that overturned while trying to cross a bridge near Avaradi village.
The contract workers hailing from West Bengal were working for a HESCOM contractor. They were travelling from Yadwad in Belagavi district to Mahalingpur in Bagalkot district.
They were sitting on the tractor that was washed away in the river. The police had closed the Avaradi bridge four days ago, due to heavy rain. But the driver took the risk of driving over the partially submerged bridge to save some driving distance, the police added.
Most of the workers swam to safety. Some locals helped them. Officers and personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services office and the State Disaster Response Force have joined the operations to search for the missing man who is now feared drowned.
“We installed barricades to restrict traffic over the submerged bridge. However, some people are still using it. We appeal to people to avoid this route,” Sub-Inspector of Police B. Anand said.