KARWAR/KUNDAPUR: Coastal Karnataka saw two landslides on Sunday resulting in three deaths and damage to some houses. In the first instance, three children, including a one-year-old infant, died and eight other people were injured in a landslide on National Highway-66 (Mangaluru-Mumbai) at Tandrakuli in Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district.
In the second incident on the same highway near Ottinene in Udupi district, a hillock gave way but no casualties have been reported.
With the onset of monsoon, rains have been lashing parts of coastal Karnataka for the past two days.
In Kumta taluk, the hillside caved in and blocked the highway in the morning. In the afternoon, big boulders and wet mud rolled down on to 6-7 houses, leaving three dead.
The deceased have been identified as Dhanush Manjunath Ambiga (1), Yatin Narayan Ambiga (7) and Bhavya Narayan Ambiga (12) of Tandrakuli village. Locals alleged that unscientific work on four-laning the highway resulted in the landlsides.
Police and Fire and Emergency Service officials were deployed for rescue operations.
Traffic was halted on the highway for many hours. While buses and light motor vehicles were diverted through Anthrali on Sirsi route to join NH-66, heavy vehicles and petroleum tankers were stopped.
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner S S Nakul announced `4 lakh each as compensation to the kin of the deceased children.
Meanwhile, the residents whose houses were damaged have been shifted to a rehabilitation centre.
In the evening, villagers staged a protest against IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, which is undertaking the work. They alleged that it was going ahead with the work without taking any safety measures. In 2012, the National Highways Authority of India had awarded to IRB contract for widening the 189-km stretch on NH-66 from Kundapur to Goa border.