Gram Panchayat member diesafter lightning strikes her

A Gram Panchayat member died when lightning struck her and a nine-year-old girl went missing when she was carried away by floods due to heavy rain in Udupi district on Tuesday.

Nidhi Acharya (9), a student of SBVP School in Padubidri, along with her elder sister, Nisha Acharya, were going on a cycle from their school to their house at Padebettu village at around 4.30 p.m. The schools closed earlier on Tuesday as the district administration declared a holiday by noon.

As the fields around were flooded with water due to heavy rain, the road and a small bridge on which they were cycling too was flooded. The cycle got caught in the strong current of the floods.

Both the sisters fell into the water and were being carried away by the floods. Nisha Acharya managed to catch hold of the long strands of grass nearby. She was rescued by local persons, who were witness to the incident. But Nidhi Acharya was carried by the flood water. After getting information, Fire and Emergency Services personnel and expert divers rushed to the spot and launched a search for Nidhi Acharya.

Sheela Nalke, a Gram Panchayat member supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who was sleeping in her house at Bailoor village near Karkala, was hit by lightning at around 3 a.m. She was rushed to the Government Hospital where doctors pronounced her brought dead. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the Karkala police station.

About 50 structures were damaged due to rain accompanied by strong winds in the district. Besides a large number of trees, 153 electricity poles were uprooted leading to power outages in many parts.

Udyavar village had to bear the brunt of rain accompanied by gusty winds. Trees got uprooted in many places and 50 electricity poles were either uprooted or damaged and they blocked the roads.

Lightning struck the house of George Saldanha damaging a television set, two laptops, fans and the entire electricity wiring at Belle village.

Two persons, Uttam and his wife, Shalette, were injured when a tree fell on their house at Yeppatharu Badagabettu village.

A house each was damaged at Bailoor, Kakkuje, Marne and Yerlapady villages in Karkala taluk and the damage put together was estimated at ₹ 90,000.

Trees also fell on houses in many places in the district. As many as 20 houses were damaged in Korangarpady.

Narasimha Pandit, Superintending Engineer, MESCOM, Udupi district, said that 153 electricity poles were uprooted or damaged in the district.

Cliffard Lobo, Range Forest Officer, said that several trees got uprooted in many places from Udyavar to Brahmavar.