Heavy rain, gusty winds hit crops, power infra in Mandya, Halebid

Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning and gusty winds, wreaked havoc on crops and power infrastructure in Old Mysuru region late Wednesday night.

A 62-year-old farmer was washed away in flash floods in a streamat Cheelanaikanahalli near Halebid in Hassan district. Basavaraju was sitting on the retaining wall of a bridge when flash floods swept him away in the stream. Tahsildar Sridhar Kankanwadi visited the spot. Halebid and surrounding areas experienced thunderstorms late on Wednesday night.

More than 250 arecanut and over 100 coconut trees at Mathighatta and Kodikopplu were uprooted in gusty winds that swept across the region. Thundershowers have destroyed horticultural crops, including tomato, beans and ridge gourd, on several acres in Halebid hobli.

Over 100 coconut trees were uprooted or damaged following heavy rain and strong winds in Halebid hobli Hassan district late Wednesday night.

15 electricity poles down

The strong winds brought down over 15 electricity poles, plunging several villages into darkness.

Rain, coupled with thunder and lightning, battered several parts of Mandya district, including the city on Wednesday night. The showers provided much-needed relief from scorching heat. On the flip side, the Wednesday night showers hit the power infrastructure badly. At least 113 electricity poles and five transformers were uprooted in the gust winds.

The thunderstorm destroyed banana plantations in Srirangapatna taluk.

Many parts of Chamarajanagar witnessed sharp showers with thunder and lightning on Thursday evening.