Heavy rains batter Karnataka's Raichur

Bengaluru: Heavy rain, coupled with thunder and lightning, that lashed many parts of Raichur district on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday damaged at least three houses and cut off scores of villages following the submergence of bridges.

A bridge on the bypass of the Bidar-Chamarajanagar National Highway (150 A) near Sindhanur has been swept away following flash floods in the stream. Because of this, the road link between Bengaluru-Kalaburagi has been cut off.

The vehicles are taking detour for about 15 to 20 km via Pagadadinni. The NHAI and PWD officials have started constructing a makeshift bridge on the stretch.

A house in ward 5 in Lingasugur was damaged in a lightning strike. The Anahosur and Jagirnandihal villages have been cut-off from the town due to an overflowing stream.

As many as 16 houses in Hutti Gold Mines and at several villages in Gurugunta hobli have been partially damaged in the overnight rain. Three buffaloes were swept away in the floods of Medinapur stream.

With most of the streams in spate, students and daily wagers from villages had a torrid time in reaching Lingasugur town.

Lingsugur taluk in Raichur and Ilkal in Bagalkot district have experienced 90 mm of rain each in the last 24 hours. Hunasagi in Yadgir district recorded 70 mm of rain.

Down south, after a two-week long dry spell, Tumakuru city and surrounding areas received sharp rains in the evening.  

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has forecast thundershowers for most of the north Karnataka districts on Tuesday and Wednesday. The department has issued a yellow alert for two days.