Periyapatna: In a tragic incident, four persons of a family were killed when the Maruti Omni they were traveling in,  fell into a water filled canal at Doddakamarahalli in the taluk last night.

The deceased have been identified as Patte Palaniswamy (50), his wife Sanju (40), son Nikith (20) and daughter Poornima (16), all said to be from Napoklu in Kodagu district. The family is said to have taken an agricultural land on lease at Lakshmipura in the taluk.

The van was moving on Harangi canal bank at Doddakamarahalli and the driver might have lost his way in darkness, resulting in the van falling into the canal, according to initial reports which also suspected that the family might have entered into a mass suicide pact due to financial problems.

Periyapatna Police, who rushed to the spot on information, retrieved the bodies of the four from the canal this morning.