Karnataka rains: Two swept away, one killed in house collapse; toll rises to 19, says KSNMC

Two people, including a 16-year-old-girl, were swept away and a man was killed when a house collapsed in rain and flood related incidents in different parts of Karnataka,officials said on Wednesday. A Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre official told PTI the girl went to wash clothes in a river near Malakanahalli in Ranebennur Taluk of Haveri district on Sunday and was swept away by the strong current. “Search is going on by the Fire and Emergency Services Department and Police department,” the official said. There were reports of a shepherd being swept away in the Krishna river in Raichur while a man died in house collapse at Sadalga village in Chikkodi Taluk of Belagavi following rains. According to reports, bodies of two women were found in Jurala dam on Krishna river in Telangana. Search is continuing for two other women. It is suspected that they were from Raichur in Karnataka. Since 1 August, at least 19 people have lost their lives and 63 head of cattle have died in rain and flood related incidents. The state government has opened 104 relief camps across the flood hit areas where 3,810 people are staying. According to the information received, a majority of rivers in the state are in spate for the last few days. The floodgates of all the important dams in the Krishna river basin have been opened in North Karnataka leading to flooding in Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag, Koppal, Davangere and Raichur districts in north Karnataka. In Kodagu district in South Karnataka, the originating point of Cauvery, the rain fury continued on Wednesday as well. According to the KSNDMC, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Markandeya, Krishna and Bhima rivers were in spate. Reports said that due to floods in Malaprabha river, the Cholachagudda Bridge was submerged in Bagalkote district. At least ten people, most of whom are shepherds, were reportedly stranded in Madaragadda in Lingasugur Taluk of Raichur district. In Anegundi in Gangavathi Taluk of Koppal district, the Sri Krishnadevaraya Samadhi (tomb) was partially submerged. Rain and thunderstorms are very likely to occur at most places over coastal Karnataka and at a few places over interior Karnataka in the next 24 hours, the KSNDMC said in a statement. The KSNDMC said that since 1 August about 5,500 houses have been damaged including 216 completely. The rains damaged crops in at least 60,000 hectares in the state. It also hit horticulture crops in about 50,000 hectares.