KASARGOD: A young man died after falling into a well and an octogenarian went missing in a rain-swelled river at Pungamchal in Vellarikkundu taluk limits on Friday. Continuous rain affected normal life in the district with rivers and canals flowing in full might.
The deceased was identified as Joshi, 35, son of Karuvankayam Krishnankutty, of West Eleri, Vellarikkundu. Kunhikkannan, 85, a resident of Punganchal in West Eleri, was swept away in the river on Friday afternoon. A minor landslide in Chemban Kunnu near Kunnumkai affected road traffic on the Neeleswaram-Bheemandi route. Trains were held up at the Kanhangad railway station in the morning for over two hours as the lines were inundated by rainwater. Nearly a hundred families have been shifted to safety across the district.
Karyakkode and Neeleswaram rivers are overflowing in the torrential rains, threatening nearly 100 families living on their banks. More than 20 families were shifted to safety from Pallathuvayal in Madikkai panchayat. Hozdurg taluk is the worst-affected in the heavy precipitation, according to the district officials. Ten families were shifted from their homes in Klayikkode, 12 in Pullur village and 15 in Kanhangad. Seven families that were cut off from the rest of the area in Madikkai in flood waters were rescued from their homes in fibre boats.
More than 200 rubber trees were uprooted in a landslide in a private property at Kallettumkadavu in Periya. All the families living in the area were alerted and were asked to move out, the district control room officials said. The district collector has declared a holiday for schools and education institutions on Saturday.
Crops Damaged
Standing crops in seven hectares were damaged in the heavy downpour that has been lashing Kasargod since Thursday.
Six houses were partially damaged and the agriculture loss is estimated at `16.54 lakh. Six persons have been killed in monsoon related mishaps in the district since June 6. As many as 17 houses were destroyed and 164 houses partially damaged in the rain.