MANGALURU: At least four persons, including three children, died and three others were feared drowned after heavy and continuous rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods across Mangaluru on Friday.
Three of them died after a portion of land fell on their house when a big mango tree got uprooted at Montepadav in Manjanady near Deralakatte around 4 am. A family of six lived in the house. Kantappa Poojary (58), his wife Prema (54), daughter-in-law Ashwini (35) and grandchildren Aryan (3) and Arush (2) got trapped under the debris, while Kantappa’s son Seetharam Poojary managed to run out of the house in the nick of time.
After a six-hour long operation, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel pulled out Prema, Ashwini and the two children from under the rubble. By then, Prema, Aryan and Arush had died, while Kantappa and Ashwini, who were injured, were rushed to the hospital. Videos showed Ashwini trying to protect her sons in her arms.
“The family has been living at the house for the last 100 years. They were told to shift to safer areas, but they did not,” an officer said.
In another incident, seven-year-old Fathima Nayeem was killed when a wall of her house collapsed on her after a landslide at Belma village. Her parents, who were sleeping in another room, escaped unhurt. Two fishers Yashawanth and Kamalaksha went missing after their traditional fishing boat capsized near Thotabengre- Alivebagilu because of rough weather.
A person was electrocuted in Belthangady taluk. Another person slipped and fell into a rivulet and got washed away in Moodbidri. The search is on for him.
16 places in DK see above 100 mm rainfall
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao handed over Rs 5 lakh each as compensation to the landslide affected families at Belma and Montepadav.
Dakshina Kannada district has been experiencing heavy rain since Thursday night, leading to flash floods at several places. Ullal, Mangaluru and Bantwal bore the brunt as roads in many places here resembled streams.
Residents in parts of flooded Ullal, Kumpala, Kallapu, Uchila and Kotekar were shifted to safer areas in boats. Jeppinamogaru area witnessed severe flooding and water entered houses and shops. Several houses and shops were flooded on Mission Street and Rao and Rao Circle on Thursday night. At Kettikal hillock, a red zone and landslide-prone area, a landslip occurred on Friday morning affecting vehicular movement. A landslide was also reported near Jokatte Gram Panchayat, where a few buildings are in danger of collapsing. Schools announced a holiday on Friday following heavy rain.
Kotekar in Ullal recorded the highest rainfall of 312 mm in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday, while Talapady, Kinnya and Munnur saw above 250 mm rainfall. Another 16 places in the district witnessed above 100 mm rainfall in the same period.