Rain fury kills 7 in State

Lightning strikes six, tree branch falls on another

 While five persons were killed when lightning bolts struck them in separate incidents, another died when a  tree branch fell on him.

The scattered rainfall brought respite to people from the summer heat but it also caused grief to many.

Forty-year-old  Murthy and his wife, Sujatha (35), were killed on the spot as lightning struck them at Ammagudde under Yadur Gram Panchayat limits of Hosanagar taluk in Shimoga district on Sunday evening. One person each was killed as lightning struck at Mundaragi in Gadag district and Badami taluk of Bagalkot district on Sunday.

Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gadag, Haveri, Belgaum and Dharwad districts received showers both on Saturday and Sunday.

Deadly bolt

Lightning struck six people while they were returning home from the fields on Hesarur Road on the outskirts of Mundaragi. Joolappa Hamappa Rathod (48) died on the spot while the other four were injured. The condition of one of the injured is stated to be serious.

Hazrath Ali Hussain Sab Valikar (30) died when lightning struck him at the Lakkasakoppa bus stand of Badami taluk. Six others were injured in the incident and have been admitted to a private hospital in Bagalkot.

Puttesha Guttal (27) was returning home from his farm at Keravadi in Byadagi taluk of Haveri district on Sunday evening, when he was struck dead by lightning. 

Nagaraj Kulal, a mason was riding his motorcycle when the branch of a tree fell on him due to heavy rain at Jakkanamakki near Someshwar under Hebri police station limits of Udupi district on Sunday, killing him instantly. Ganapathi Nayak, who was riding pillion was injured.

Pre-monsoon showers accompanied by hailstorms, thunder and lightning were reported in several parts of Shimoga district on Sunday afternoon, including Shimoga city, Sagar, Bhadravathi and Sorab taluks. Bhadravathi also received good rainfall for an hour. Rain lashed Sagar and Sorab for half an hour, while dull weather prevailed in Tirthahalli.

Davangere city also received pre-monsoon showers on Sunday afternoon. There was good rainfall in Chennagiri taluk of the district also.

Rain was reported in Hassan city and surrounding areas on Saturday night and Sunday. It rained for about an hour in some parts of the city on Sunday afternoon. Rain accompanied by thunder and lightning was reported by evening in several parts of the taluk.

Rain lashed Gulbarga on Saturday and Sunday. The mercury level dipped from 41 degree Celsius to 36.7 degree Celsius in the city on Sunday. Heavy rain was reported in Bidar district on Saturday and at Shahpur of Yadgir district on Sunday.

Mild to heavy downpours, accompanied by lightning and thunder, were reported throughout Udupi district, including Karkala and Kundapur taluks.

Puttur and Ujire in Dakshina Kannada district also received heavy rain on Sunday. There were only mild showers in Mangalore. Chikmagalur, Kalasa, Moodigere and Birur had good rainfall. In Kodagu, Madikeri, Napoklu and Kakkabbe received heavy rain, while Bhagamandala, Moornadu, Suntikoppa and Hattihole received moderate rainfall.