BJP vice-president and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and his escort personnel saved the lives of six persons, including a one-year-old child, who were drowning in a canal near Esur village in Shikaripur taluk on Thursday.

The incident occurred when Mr. Yeddyurappa was heading towards Shikaripur after inaugurating the Jan Dhan scheme in Shimoga city. The car that was ahead of his vehicle fell into a canal near Esur village.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, who noticed this, got his car stopped. He directed the police personnel escorting him to the rescue the people. The former Chief Minister’s car driver Shivakumar and Mr. Yeddyurappa’s gunman Keshava jumped into the water and saved Shashikumar, who was at the wheel, Vijay, one-year-old boy Pranab, Veena, Shakuntala and Channabasamma.

Mr. Yeddyurappa and police personnel S.C. Basavarajappa, Manjunath Naik and Huchappa lent a helping hand in the operation to save the car occupants. The police said that Mr. Shashikumar and Mr. Vijay were working as lab technicians at the government McGann Hospital in Shimoga. They were heading towards Shikaripur with their family members to attend a programme at the house of their relative. Mr. Yeddyurappa took the victims in his personal vehicle to Shikaripur and dropped them at the venue where the programme was held. The car was retrieved from water by the Shikaripur Rural police with the help of the local people.