Four die in rain-related incidents in Bidar, Bijapur

Four persons including three of a family were struck dead by lightning in separate incidents in Bidar and Bijapur towns on Wednesday.

A woman, her son and grandson were killed when lightning struck the tree under which they were taking shelter in an agricultural field in Wanmarpalli village of Aurad taluk of Bidar district. Three others are said to have suffered serious burns, while one woman escaped unhurt.

According to the Aurad police, Suganda Kashinath (50), her son Chandrakanth (25), and her grandson Praveen (5) were killed on the spot. Ravi Amruth (27), his wife Lata (18) and his relative Srikanth (22) are said to have suffered serious burns.

The police said the family members had gone to the field for harvesting soya crop when it started raining. They took shelter under a tree at the field when lightning struck them.

In another incident, a woman was killed and another woman was injured on Wednesday at around 1.30 pm, when lightning struck them in Nerabenchi village in Muddebihal taluk in Bijapur district. The deceased has been identified as Shantavva Erappa Biradara (49), and the injured woman is Siddamma Sharanappa Biradara (51).

Rains in Bijapur

Heavy rains lashed Bijapur for more than three hours, leading to waterlogging in many areas. Vehicular movement was disrupted due to the downpour.

Resident Ashok Jingade said the drain pipes throughout the stretch between Ashrama and Sanskriti Layout were damaged and rain water gushed into houses. The ITI College on Solapur Road, Meenakshi Chowk, Gokul Road, BSNL office, KC Market, Bukari Mosque, Nalabandh Chowk and surrounding areas were inundated. The residents complained that the city municipal council had not been taking any steps to improve the condition of the drains, which hindered the smooth flow of the sewage.

Bagalkot

Heavy rains lashed Hungund town for around two hours in the noon. Water entered houses in low-lying areas of Vanipet. Water overflowed from Katagahalla and Chikkahalla (small ponds). Agricultural activity has picked up pace following copious rains.

Kolar

Heavy but intermittent rains lashed Kolar Gold Fields and surrounding areas on Tuesday night. Rainwater gushed into many houses in low-laying areas like Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Oorgaumpet, Swarnanagar and other places, wreaking havoc. The situation was worst in Fish and Janata Colonies in Oorgaumpet where residents had to stay awake throughout the night to empty water from their houses. Heavy rains brought down an old tree in Beml Nagar.

Mysore

There were reports of rain-related damages were in several parts of Mysore region, which recorded good rainfall on Wednesday. Rain water entered a poulty farm in Maraliga village in Mandya district resulting in the death of more than 2,000 newly hatched chicken. KR Nagar recorded maximum rainfall in Mysore district, with 35.5 mm rainfal. Mandya city recorded 14.5 mm rainfall during the day. Rainfall was relatively sparse in Chamarajnagar district.

In Holenarsipur, Hassan district, five houses were damaged due to the showers.

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell, Holenarsipur, Hassan, Alur and Arsikere taluks of the district recorded 44 mm, 46 mm, 48 mm and 43 mm rainfall during the day respectively.

Dakshina Kannada

Heavy rains and strong winds damaged property worth lakhs of rupees at various places of Belthangadi taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. on Tuesday. A coconut farm belonging to Vishalakshi Balakrishna of Kuvettu village has been damaged.

Houses belonging to Obaiah Poojary, Narayana Poojary and Ravi Poojary of Odilnala village have been damaged by gusty winds and the damage has been assessed at Rs one lakh, officials of the Revenue department said.