Two siblings die in Gurupura landslide, 4 houses destroyed

Mangaluru: A teenager and a child, who were siblings, were buried alive, and four houses were destroyed, and several houses were severely damaged, due to a massive landslide in Banglagudde, Gurupura, on Sunday afternoon.
After four hours of continuous operations by the NDRF, the bodies of Safwan, 16, and Sahla,10, residents of Tarakariya in Gurupura, were removed from the debris.
According to police, several relatives, including the deceased, had come to the house of Mohammed, a truck driver. Around 1.10pm, all the relatives were out in the front yard discussing constructing a small water channel, when all of a sudden, a hillock collapsed. At that time, the deceased were sleeping inside Mohammed’s house and got trapped, while others managed to save themselves. The father of the deceased, Sharif, is a daily wage labourer. Soon after Mohammed’s house was destroyed, another house situated adjacent to it also collapsed, but the occupants had safely evacuated themselves by then. Several vehicles too have been damaged in the incident.
Police added that a total of four houses have been destroyed due to the landslide, and 20 houses are on the verge of collapse. All the residents have been given shelter at government schools in and around Gurupura, and some have moved to their neighbours’ houses. “The other houses may collapse any time,” said a police officer.
Chief minister B S Yediyurappa has announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for each deceased, which will be given to their family.