MANGALURU: Mangaluru reeled under a spell of intense monsoon fury on Monday as heavy rain coupled with strong winds unleashed widespread disruption across the city and surrounding areas. In a dramatic incident near St Aloysius College, a massive tree was uprooted and came crashing down, damaging two electricity poles and crushing a parked car. The vehicle’s driver had a miraculous escape, narrowly avoiding what could have been a tragic accident.
Emergency response teams swung into action immediately after the incident. Personnel from MESCOM, the Mangaluru City Corporation, and the Fire and Emergency Services Department rushed to the spot, clearing the fallen tree and debris while beginning restoration work to restore power and ease traffic snarls.
The relentless downpour left several parts of the city submerged, turning roads into waterlogged stretches and making commuting a nightmare. Areas such as Kannur on National Highway- 75, the Bajal underpass, and Adyar witnessed severe flooding. Residents of Adyar faced yet another year of misery as roads under the Gram Panchayat limits went underwater due to inadequate drainage infrastructure — a recurring problem that continues to plague the locality.
Dakshina Kannada recorded 54.7 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Monday, much higher than the district average of 39.9 mm. Moodbidri emerged as the wettest taluk with 73.3 mm of rainfall, while Sullia received 62.33 mm, both comfortably surpassing their seasonal averages. The heavy rains also left a trail of damage across the district. Official figures showed that four houses suffered partial damage, 57 electricity poles were uprooted, and three transformers were damaged.