Heavy rains in Bengaluru claim two more lives, three washed away

BENGALURU: Torrential rains continued to pummel the city today, claiming two more lives, while three people were washed away in stormwater drains, the police said.

For the past 10 days, the city was witnessing heavy rains which inundated several low-lying areas. Rains left crater-sized potholes everywhere. In the last 10 days, four people lost their lives in road accidents caused due to potholes.

"I haven't ever seen anything like this in the past 12 years I have been here. All drains were full and water from roads entered houses. Even my house got flooded."  Shree, who uses a single name, a resident of Malleshwaram in Bengaluru, said. Sharath S Namburi, another Malleshwaram resident, said, "The water level was close to four feet. We had to pull vehicles out without starting them."

Today, a couple were killed when the wall of their house, which had become weak due to continuous downpour, collapsed, the police said.

In another incident, a priest of a temple near Kurubarahalli Circle in Basaveshwaranagar was swept away in a stormwater drain after water gushed inside the temple at around 7 pm, according to reports.

Locals removed the wall of the culvert with an excavator to trace the priest but to no avail, the police said. A 57-year old woman and her daughter, aged 22, were swept away in a stormwater drain at Laggere after water from it flooded their house, they added.

Mayur Jain, a resident of Whitefield, said, "Bengaluru already has the worst traffic and in situations like this it takes almost two hours for a distance of 8 kilometres. Many are people are stranded and no cabs are available. My wife and kids were stuck for two hours and at last had to pay Rs 200 for travelling a distance of four kilometres."

Vikas Badiger from Mahalakshmi layout said, "We are facing this situation because government planning hasn't been appropriate and citizens haven't taken up any responsibility."

A child who was alone at home when water gushed into the house was rescued by the neighbours, the police said.

KJ George, State Minister for Development and Town Planning, visited Kurubarahalli. Compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been reportedly announced for the deceased.

(With inputs from PTI)