Children rescued from stranded school buses on tractors amid heavy rain in Bengaluru: Report

Heavy rainfall in Bengaluru left children stranded on flooded streets in school buses.

Heavy rainfall in Bengaluru on Tuesday left several children stranded on school buses after they became stuck on the flooded Balagere Main Road in Mahadevapura. The road, which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had pledged to fix two years ago, once again turned into a hazard as waterlogging brought traffic to a standstill, The Indian Express reported.

Students wade through a flooded street following heavy rainfall in Bengaluru on October 15, 2024.(AFP)

A local resident described how buses from various private schools broke down while attempting to cross the waterlogged road. The children were stuck for hours. Residents came together to help and called in tractors to transport the kids home, he said, as quoted in the report. The rescue operation took several hours, with some children not reaching home until 7 pm. Some kids were understandably anxious and started crying, but residents managed to calm them down with water and snacks, the man added.

Balagere Main Road has long been a trouble spot during the monsoon. Two years ago, when Siddaramaiah visited the area as an Opposition leader, he promised to resolve the flooding issue by completing the stormwater drain system. However, despite his return as Chief Minister, residents say the situation remains unchanged, as per the report.

Mahadevapura, the highest property tax-paying zone under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and home to many IT companies, still struggles with basic infrastructure. Residents are frustrated that their repeated requests to local authorities have gone unanswered. The resident spoke to the publication on the matter and said they just need the stormwater drain along Balagere Main Road to be finished and connected to Varthur Lake, but nothing has happened in four years.

The city, which saw 37 mm of rain in just 24 hours, experienced significant waterlogging, with 142 complaints of water entering homes and numerous reports of fallen trees. More rain is expected in the coming days, with an orange alert issued for Bengaluru.