Two labourers die as heavy rains lash Bengaluru, many houses flooded

Two labourers died while many houses were flooded due to heavy downpour in the city, authorities said.

The Meteorological department on Wednesday forecast more rains in the city for the next 24 hours.

Two labourers -- Dev Vrat from Bihar and Ankit Kumar from Uttar Pradesh -- drowned after the water level inside a pipeline they were laying at Ullal here increased suddenly due to heavy rains on Tuesday evening, police said.

Another labourerer Trilok was lucky as he came out of the Cauvery water pipeline in time as the water level quickly rose.

Police have arrested the contractor for his alleged negligence while an inquiry is on to find out the role of the site engineer.

The heavy rain wreaked havoc in the city as water gushed into houses in many low-lying areas.

According to the Weather department, many areas received 50 mm to 150 mm rain in the last 24 hours.

Horamavu, Yelahanka, Vidyapeetha, Rajmahal, Nagapura, Sampangiramnagar, Vidyaranyapura, Banaswadi, Jakkur and Singasandra were among the worst-hit.

While Horamavu reported 155 mm rainfall, Yelahanka and Vidyapeetha received 129 mm and 127 mm rains, respectively, the department said.

Many trees were uprooted, Bengaluru civic agency said.

Scores of vehicles were submerged in the basements of some apartments in Horamavu, HSR Layout, Rajajinagar, Basaveshwaranagar and Neelasandra.

There was waterlogging in many parts of the city, which also witnessed traffic snarls due to the torrential rainfall.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday visited some of the rain-hit areas in the city.