Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 15: Coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi received good rainfall coupled with strong wind, thunder and lightning on the evening of Monday November 14. Those parts of the twin-districts which received rain experienced considerably reduced temperature as a result.
The city went without any rain. There was neither any lightning, thunder, or strong wind.
Some places in Sullia taluk experienced only thunder in some places while Subrahmanya and surroundings got good rainfall. While Beltangady got only showers, Venoor received heavy rain with lightning and thunder. Bantwal experienced light showers with wind and lightning. Uppinangady received heavy rain with lightning and thunder while Kadaba got some rain with thunder. Udupi, Brahmavar and Karkala taluks got light rainfall.
Rain coupled with strong wind and lightning lashed Beltangady and Puttur taluks on the evening of Monday November 14. The severity of lightning came as surprise for the people who are used to normal lightnings. Lightning also claimed two lives.
Those who became victims of lightning happen to be Naveen Kumar (35), a coolie from Koradelu in Koppa Maderi in Nelyady village, Puttur taluk, and Neelayya Poojary (60), a farmer residing near Kallaje school in Karambaru, Beltangady taluk.
Naveen, who was a native of Chikkamagaluru, had married a girl from Kokkada and started living at Koradelu in land belonging to a relative of his wife with wife and father. On Sunday, Naveen had reached home after doing work elsewhere. Heavy rain which was experienced in the area had just then stopped. Immediately following his arrival at his home, lightning struck a bamboo grove standing nearby and powerful current flowed into Naveen's house through electrical wires. Naveen Kumar collapsed due to the shocks he suffered. His wife, Pushpavati, immediately sought help from neighbours, who came and found that Naveen had already breathed his last.
While the bamboo grove was found to have turned into a heap of splinters, Naveen's house was damaged and electrical equipment inside the house were found to have been burnt down. Naveen's father, Krishne Gowda, who was seated in a chair behind his son, said a huge fireball looked like having entered the house, after which his son collapsed to the ground. Naveen's body was taken to Uppinangady community health centre for postmortem. Puttur tahsildar, Anant Shankar, deputy tasildars, Sadashiva Naik and Sridhar Kodijal, revenue inspector, Manjunath, village accountant, Ramanand Chakkadi, and some others visited the spot and recorded the details.
Neelayya Poojary residing near Kallaje school died after lightning hit Karambaru area in Shirlalu village. When lightning struck with a huge sound on Monday evening, Neelayya, who was inside his house, suffered heart attack and died on the spot. He is survived by two daughters. His wife had breathed her last a few years back.