Heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds, thunder and lightning lashed Kalaburgi district late on Wednesday evening, claiming two lives and damaging standing crops.
Ramappa H. Haandaraki (50) of Kachavar village in Sedam taluk and Huleppa Mareppa (40) of Aland town died due to lightning. Basamma, wife of Huleppa, was injured.
The downpour that started at 10 p.m. Wednesday continued till 4 a.m. Thursday. Road connectivity between villages and towns continued to be cut off due to the submersion of bridges and low-level causeways near Panegaon, Sitnoor and Dandoti Bridge.
Following the heavy rain, water gushed into the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Teaching and General Hospital around midnight. The patients of the general and pediatric ward in the hospital premises spent a sleepless night as the ground floor was inundated. An excavator was deployed on Thursday morning to let the water out.
The residents in several localities in Brahmapur, Shahbazar, Mahalaxmi Layout and the areas located on the outskirts of the city also spent a sleepless night after rainwater gushed into their homes, damaging their household articles. The open drains and storm water drains were mostly overflowing.
The district received an avarage rainfall of 41 mm between Wednesday night and Thursday morning (till 8.30 a.m.), according to the Indian Meterological Department.
Sedam taluk recorded 55 mm rainfall, followed by Chittapur taluk with 54 mm, Kalaburagi with 50 mm, Jewargi taluk 40 mm, Chincholli 37 mm, Aland 27 mm and Afzalpur 22 mm.
Highest rainfall
Kalaburagi city recorded 91 mm rainfall, the highest in the district. Sedam town received 85 mm rainfall, followed by Chitapur town with 78 mm rainfall over the last night.