Girl dies, 20 flights diverted as rain lashes Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A three-year-old girl died after a tree trunk snapped and crashed on a moving bike in east Bengaluru, as torrential rain lashed the city and disrupted road and air traffic on Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as Raksha, a resident of Jeevanahalli.

Her father, who was riding the bike, suffered minor injuries in the incident took place on Poorva Park Main Road around 8.30 pm.

According to the police, a tree trunk snapped due to rain and strong winds and fell on the bike, critically injured her. The girl was rushed to the Bowring Hospital but she had succumbed to head injuries due to extreme blood loss.

An investigator who was at the spot said the father and daughter had gone to meet their relative in Jeevanahalli.

Heavy rain also hit air traffic at the Kempegowda Internation Airport (KIA), with 20 flights, both domestic and international, getting diverted and over 10 others being delayed.

Ten IndiGo, four Air India Express, two Akasa, and two Air India flights and two international flights were diverted due to the heavy downpour. Flight delays affected both departures and arrivals.

A source at the KIA told DH that a flight from Mauritius was diverted to Coimbatore and another coming from Male was diverted to Chennai.

“The domestic flights that were diverted to Chennai and Coimbatore include flights from Hyberabad, Mumbai and Durgapur. Three flights from Vijaypuram were diverted to Chennai and Hyderabad diverted to Chennai. The cascading effect is still on and the numbers might increase,” added the source.

The diverted domestic flights included those from Hyderabad, Goa, Port Blair, Shirdi, Tiruchirappalli, Mumbai, Delhi, Durgapur, Visakhapatnam, Bagdogra, and Aizawl.

IndiGo posted an advisory on X, saying unfavourable weather conditions in Bengaluru continue to impact flights.

“We’re closely monitoring the weather and will keep you informed with timely updates,” it read. Teams are closely monitoring the weather, and remain committed to resuming smooth and timely operations as soon as conditions improve, the advisory read.