Bengaluru
Already under an ominous Covid-19 cloud, torrential rain continued to batter Karnataka, killing over 5 people. While there were 3 confirmed deaths, 5 were missing due to flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in the past 3 days across the state.
Kodagu district was the worst affected as Bhagamandala virtually went under water as the region recorded 486 mm in the past 24 hours.
Search operations for 5 people had to be stopped early at Bhagamandala due to inclement weather. The missing include the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple Narayana Achar (70), his wife Shantha (70), brother Anandatheertha Swami (87) and two assistants — Ravi Kiran (26) and Srinivas (30).
For the past two monsoon seasons, Kodagu has been bearing the brunt. Like in the previous years, the downpour triggered landslides in the Brahmagiri hills, the origin of river Cauvery where the Talacauvery temple is located.
Meanwhile, most major rivers in the state including Krishna and Malaprabha are in spate, submerging roads in several places in Chikkamagaluru, Belagavi, Gadag, Haveri, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Authority has sounded a red alert in coastal and Malnad region for the next 24 hours.
