This story is from August 10, 2019

With 7 deaths, Kodagu fears repeat of last year

Seven people died in rain-related accidents in Kodagu on Friday and at least eight others were reported missing across the district.
With 7 deaths, Kodagu fears repeat of last year
A waterlogged area in Bethri
MADIKERI: Seven people died in rain-related accidents in Kodagu on Friday and at least eight others were reported missing across the district.
Officials said five people were killed in a major landslide in Korangala village near Bhagamandala in Madikeri taluk. The victims were identified as farmers Kalana Udayakumar, 43, Attadi Yashwanth, 44, and Bolana Balakrishna, 50, his wife Yamuna, 40, and Nidubatte Raja, 45, a guard at Sri Bhagandeshwara Temple in Talacauvery.
According to officials, four of the victims were buried alive with Yashwanth around 9.30am on Friday as they were helping him move household items out of his family house.

Yashwanth’s wife Shashikala, and their two children, Shreyas and Nishanth, and Yashwanth’s elder brother Radhakrishna survived the landslide, officials said. Raja’s son-in-law Prasad and his wife Latha were also rescued from the site.
“We were standing close to the house when parts of the hillside came crashing down,” said Kalana Ravi, Yashwanth’s neighbour and a BJP functionary. “We ran as fast as we could but some of us got stuck under the debris. Lives could have been saved if the district administration had given the houses they promised to those affected by the floods of August 2018.”
Two people, Mamatha, 40, and Likhitha, 15, died in Thora village, Virajpet taluk, where five houses collapsed in a landslide. Eight residents of Thora were missing till late on Friday night, Kodagu deputy commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said.

Hundreds were stranded in and around Thora village till Army, NDRF and police rescue teams moved at least 300 people to safer ground. Poor light and inclement weather had by Friday evening put a halt to searches by rescue teams for others trapped by floodwaters and landslips. Officials said the searches would resume on Saturday morning.
Red alert declared
Kodagu was by Friday among the worst affected districts in the state, with incessant rain, widespread flooding and landslips also causing major damage to property. Officials said 2,866 people from inundated villages had taken refuge in 34 relief centres across Kodagu district.
The villages of Kudluru, Bethri, Benguru, Balele and Bhagamandala were submerged on Friday, taking the total number of inundated villages in the district to 58.
The Kodagu district administration declared a red alert till Saturday. The DC announced that Saturday would be a holiday for all schools and colleges in view of a Met office forecast that the district is likely to continue to receive heavy rainfall.
Around 70% of residential areas in Gonikoppal was submerged and NDRF and Army teams on Friday stepped up rescue operations in the town. A team rescued more than 20 people from a three-storey building in Patel Nagar and moved them to a relief centre.
Kushalnagar, Koppa and Kudluru in Sowmarpet taluk were also flooded with backwaters of Harangi Reservoir, where inflows were recorded at 25,600 cusecs on Friday.
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