Heavy rainfall, landslides in coastal Karnataka leave 3 dead

Mangaluru (Karnataka): Heavy rains and landslides across Karnataka's coastal Dakshina Kannada district have claimed three lives, officials said on Friday.

On Thursday night, a landslide struck a home at Montepadavu Kodi near here, trapping five people under debris, they said.

A woman and her child were pulled from the debris and hospitalised in critical condition. However, another child of the woman was found dead.

Heavy rains and the limited access to the site have hampered rescue operations.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local police are involved in the ongoing efforts to rescue those trapped.

Another woman, who was inside the house during the incident, was found dead while her son Sitaram narrowly escaped by rushing out after hearing the landslide, a senior official said.

Another person identified as Kantappa Poojary, who sustained injuries, was rescued by locals and admitted to a hospital.

Rescue teams are continuing efforts despite challenging weather and terrain conditions.

In another incident at Deralakatte in Mangaluru, a compound wall collapsed on a house on Friday morning, killing a six-year-old girl identified as Fatima Naeem.

Authorities have issued warnings for vulnerable zones in the region, as intermittent rains continue to batter the coastal belt.

Rescue and relief operations are being coordinated by local disaster response teams and district officials.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after receiving full briefing on the landslides and wall collapses in Dakshina Kannada district due to overnight rains, instructed district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundurao and Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner to immediately visit the spot, inspect, take necessary action and report back to him.

The CM issued the instructions during the review meeting with Deputy Commissioners of all districts and CEOs of Zilla Panchayats at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.