Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Oct 13: Rain, lightning and speeding winds that hit in the afternoon on Monday October 12, inflicted heavy losses in Sullia and Beltangady taluks of Dakshina Kannada district on Monday October 12. Other parts of the district experienced cloudy weather during this period except Karkala taluk, many parts of which got abundant rain in the evening.

Four persons were injured, after lightning struck their house at Sullia in the afternoon. Trees and electric poles were uprooted because of the rains and speeding winds. Falling trees damaged several buildings. A food grains godown suffered heavy losses in Beltangady taluk and after a tree fell on a shop on the main road, the shop suffered damages and a path way to some houses was closed. After a huge tree fell across the Dharmastala Road in Beltangady, the traffic got blocked for nearly two hours, resulting in a four-kms long serpentine queue. In the evening, the tree was removed with the help of a crane.

About 2,000 tiles of the Bhoruka Siri Rural Excellence Centre in Laila village in Beltangady taluk were blown away because of the strong winds. The ongoing training was immediately suspended, and loss in the incident is estimated at about one lac rupees. A godown of the food and civil supplies department located in Laila suffered damages, and food grains valued at lacs of rupees were soaked in rain water. Several other buildings in and around Laila, including the government pre university college, too were damaged because of the falling trees.

In the lightning incident in Sullia, four people were injured, two houses were damaged, and the wiring system was burnt. The electrical and electronic equipments inside the house were damaged.