Rain plays havoc in North Karnataka

Incessant rain for over three days threw normal life out of gear in North Karnataka and claimed 20 lives.

While seven people were killed in Raichur district, six were killed in Bagalkot, three in Belgaum, and two in Bijapur and one each in Gulbarga and Koppal districts. The rain fury began on Thursday. Several houses collapsed and trees were uprooted causing damage to life and property.

In Raichur seven people, including an infant, died in a house collapse on Saturday. Four persons, including three children died in Kallur village of Manvi taluk.

Two boys died on the spot when the wall of a house collapsed on the road they were walking on. Another woman succumbed to injuries caused by wall collapse in Gonal village in Sindhanur taluk.

Five persons including five children lost their lives in Chikkalaki village of Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkot district. Fearing that their house may collapse these persons had taken shelter in a nearby shed. Torrential rains literally brought the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad to a complete standstill and left many low-lying areas inundated.

The residents of Bhavikatti plots and Channabasaweshwar Nagar in Dharwad were the worst hit as the water gushed into several houses.

Utensils and household articles were seen floating. A 100-year-old banyan tree near the inspection bungalow on the Pune-Bangalore national highway in Dharwad came crashing on Saturday evening.

Luckily nobody was injured. Low-lying areas in Ganeshpet and other areas in Hubli had a harrowing time with water flooding the houses. The children found it difficult to reach the school. Power supply was disrupted as transformer at some places burst.

Heavy rain, which eluded Belgaum district for a fortnight has been lashing since Friday besides quenching the thirst of the parched district and brought misery to low-lying areas.

A couple in Khanagaon district of Gokak taluk were killed when a wall of their house collapsed on Saturday. Another person was washed away in the Krishna waters near Jugal village in Athani taluk.

Chikkodi, Athani and Raibag taluks in the Krishna basin in Belgaum district had seen floods for the last two years.

The government machinery was found lacking in providing relief in many districts.Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy cancelled his 'village stay' in Bijapur district due to the 'bad weather'.