Evening showers bring joy & misery to N-K districts; farmer killed in lightning strike

Several houses were damaged and electricity supply was affected in the district following sharp showers coupled with thunder activity

Hubballi/Belagavi/Mangaluru, DHNS: Evening showers, along with thunder, lightning and gusty winds, continued to lash districts in Mumbai-Karnataka (Kittur Karnataka), bringing a much-needed respite from sweltering heat.

The thunderstorm also brought misery for some in the region. A 22-year-old man was struck dead by lightning at Bankaneri village in Badami taluk, Bagalkot district. The mishap occurred when Nagaraj Naganur was trying to cover a haystack with a tarpaulin at his farm.

A cow died in a lightning strike at a farm at Naguru in Basavana Bagewadi taluk of Vijayapura district.

Gusty winds damaged the ready-to-harvest Kashmiri apple crop at Kolhar in the Vijayapura district. In a first in north Karnataka, farmer Siddappa Balgonda had cultivated Kashmiri apples on one acre. High-intensity winds blew apples away.

Several houses were damaged and the electricity supply was affected in the district following sharp showers coupled with thunder activity. Traffic on Devara Hippargi was affected after a massive branch of neem tree came crashing on the road. A few people who were taking shelter under the tree had a narrow escape.

Belagavi city and several parts of the district, including Khanapur and Ramdurg taluk, experienced hailstorms in the evening.

Rain, accompanied by thunder activity, lashed Hubballi-Dharwad in the evening. Skies opened up by 4 pm and it rained in short spells till late evening. The showers rendered air cooler in the twin cities.

Lakshmeshwar and surrounding areas in Gadag district also witnessed a brief spell of rain and strong winds. Many parts of the taluk plunged into darkness after a tree branch fell on the supply line near a veterinary hospital in Lakshmeshwar town.

Over half a dozen haystacks at Hole Hadagali in Ron taluk were reduced to ashes following a lightning strike.

Heavy rain and gusty winds wreaked havoc on Bhadra Colony in NR Pura taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, on late Saturday evening.

As many as six electricity poles were uprooted in the colony affecting the power supply. A huge tree came crashing down on a masjid compound. The branches of a tree fell on a drinking water unit as well.

Incidents of tree fall on the Banagi-Shettikoppa route have hit traffic on the stretch.

Acres of banana and areca nut trees were damaged at Ravoor, Lingapura. Parts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have also experienced showers in the evening.

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