3 killed by lightning, heavy rains threaten grape farmers

Three people, including a woman, were killed by lightning as heavy rains lashed several parts of the State on Friday. On the other hand, the downpour brought the much-need relief from the scorching summer heat in districts like Yadgir and Vijayapura. 

Two people, including a woman, were killed by lightning in Kalaburagi on Friday when heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds, thunder and lightning, lashed several parts of the district.

Lightening

Srimant Basavantappa Udumanahalli, 18, was tilling his land in Marpalli village, Chincholi taluk, when lightning struck him. 

Sharanamma Laxman Jawali, 45, who was grazing her sheep in an open field in Koralli village, Aland taluk, also fell prey to lightening. Rains lashed Kalaburagi city for about 30 minutes, inundating low-lying areas and derailing normal life. 

The rains, however, brought down the scorching temperatures providing relief from the oppressive heat of the last three days. 

Vijayapura 

Sharadabai Gireppa Tiligoola, 35, was struck by lightning when she was walking back home from the fields with her husband in Halagundanala village, Sindagi taluk on Friday evening. 

Tahsildar G S Malagi rushed to the spot and promised Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation to the family. 

Heavy rains in Vijayapura, though a boon this summer, have become a bane to farmers, destroying both horticultural and agricultural crops. Heavy rains that started on Friday afternoon turned into hailstorm. 

The fury of the rain coupled with the hail storm uprooted many trees and turned the roads into rivers in spate. Many houses in low lying areas were flooded. 

The rains are a cause of anxiety to rural masses, especially farmers who harvested their grape late and those who have put out the fruit for drying to make raisins. 

Badami 

Winds, thunder and lightning were followed by heavy rains for twenty minutes in the surrounding hills and Banashankari Chollagudda village in Badami on Friday evening.

For about three minutes small hailstones rained from the skies making children squeal with happiness as they picked up the cold hailstones and popped them into their mouth.

As the first rains this summer drenched the red soil of Badami, its fragrance enveloped the people of the district. The twin waterfalls in the east hill filled the Agastya lake. The rains washed the roads and storm water drains clean.
Yadgir 

Dry weather prevailed in Yadgir district. 

However some parts of the district received light rains on Friday evening.While Yadgir and surrounding villages experienced some wind, thunder and lightning accompanied by light rains, Shahpur and Surpur remained dry.