Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Oct 14: A number of places in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts experienced rains coupled with lightning late afternoon on Thursday October 13. Many places also got light drizzle in the late evening.

Both the districts were enveloped in thick clouds since morning. Beltangady, Subrahmanya, Puttur, Bantwal, and many parts of Karkala and Udupi taluks drenched in heavy rain coupled with lightning for about 90 minutes from 3.30 pm onwards. The city apart from Moodbidri, Kinnigoli, Muky, Kateel, Kundapur taluk and other places in the twin-districts received light rain in the evening.

A person named Gulabi, resident of Marne in Karkala taluk, was hospitalized after suffering injuries due to lightning. A cow belonging to Vittal Poojary in Irvathur village died after lightning hit the cattle shed. Three other cows in the shed were unscathed. The house and a coconut tree owned by Abubakker in Nayanad in Beltangady taluk too were hit by lightning. The electricity wiring of the house was burnt and a wall of the house developed cracks.

Deafening sound of lightning, which was too loud and never experienced in the past, took people of Hebri and surrounding regions aback on Thursday evening. A power transformer and a mobile tower belonging to BSNL were damaged in the incident. Some electric poles fell to the ground, and a few trees were damaged. Lightning also damaged electric wiring, meter board, and switchboard of a house owned by Narayana Poojari Surulimoole in Vittal village on Thursday morning. The walls of his recently built house developed cracks. Poojary, who was alone at the house at the time, escaped unhurt.

The meteorological department has predicted normal to heavy rain in some places located in northern and southern hinterlands and normal rain in various places on Karnataka coast. This prediction is valid till Saturday morning.