Twenty-seven people drowned when a van in which they were travelling fell into Undabatti tank near Kadakola on the Mysore-Nanjangud Road yesterday. The dead included 23 women, one man and three children. The victims belonged to Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district. They were returning after a wedding feast hosted by the bridegroom’s parents in Nanjangud town, when the accident occurred around 4 pm. As soon as the accident occurred, local people swung into action. They jumped into the tank and brought the bodies on to the shore. They saved five persons who were shifted to K.R. Hospital in Mysore. Personnel from the Department of Fire Force used rubber dinghies in the operation to fish out bodies. The ill-fated van was lifted from the tank with the help of two cranes belonging to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Irate villagers staged a snap strike and blocked the highway for more than 30 minutes protesting the negligence of the National Highway 212. Medical Education and District-In-Charge Minister S.A. Ramdas visited the spot and announced a compensation of one lakh rupees to the kin of deceased and 50 thousand rupees to the injured.