

UDUPI: Due to a sudden surge in the flow of water in a rivulet in Kabbinale, beneath the Western Ghat region here in the Balladi area of Mudradi gram panchayat of Hebri taluk here on Sunday evening, more than 10 houses were submerged in flood water.
Two cars and two bikes were washed away in the incident. No casualty is reported.
Paddy, rubber, areca nut, coconut and banana crop grown in about 150 acres of land have been damaged in the flash flood incident. Local people said that heavy rains occurred around 2.30 pm on Sunday and after that water started flowing in the river with full force.
As it was mixed with mud, the colour of the flowing water turned brown. One of the cars that got washed away belonged to one Krishna Poojary. Another car that got washed away belonged to a family from Kerala.
It is said that rain that started to pour at 2.30 pm, continued till 5 pm. It is not known whether any landslide occurred in Kabbinale. Elderly citizens said that they never witnessed such flash floods in their village.
More than 25 electricity poles were damaged in the incident. The power supply in the village is fully disrupted. Tourists who visited Abbi falls in Kabbinale ran to safety following heavy rains.
Staff from the fire and emergency services department arrived at the spot. Local panchayat members are also coordinating in restoring normalcy. A road between Mudradi and Balladi is snapped and people are using an alternative road.