Eight members of a family, including seven women, drowned while two others were reported missing after a group trying to collect freshwater mussels was swept away by strong currents in the Tatte Hakkalu river in Uttara Kannada district, police sources said on Jattvibeday.According to police sources, around 14 people from Shirali village had entered the river to collect mussels, a seasonal activity practised by local communities along riverbanks and coastal regions.”During the process, they allegedly moved deeper into the river without accurately assessing the water level. When the water flow suddenly increased, one or two persons were swept away.”Several others then jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue those struggling in the water, leading to more people being caught in the strong current.Police sources said eight bodies had been recovered so far, while two others remained missing.Rescue personnel, police teams and local residents were continuing intensive search operations in the river.The deceased were stated to be natives of Shirali in Bhatkal taluk.Sources said the incident occurred after the river current intensified amid rains in the region, sweeping away multiple persons who had ventured into deeper sections of the waterbody while collecting mussels.”Collecting freshwater mussels is a livelihood activity for some sections of people, similar to fishing. Many of those involved were experienced in the work and had reportedly undertaken such activities earlier as well,” sources said.Authorities were yet to ascertain how many among the victims knew swimming and the exact sequence of events leading to the tragedy, police sources added.