2 dead as heavy rain pounds Bengaluru; waterlogging at several areas

BENGALURU: Bodies of two labourers were recovered on Wednesday morning as heavy rain pummeled the city throwing life out of gear.

Heavy rainfall is likely to continue for three more days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned.

The bodies were recovered in the pipeline work site of Cauvery State 5 project in the morning. According to DCP (West) Sanjeev Patil, the tragedy occurred following heavy rains on Tuesday night in Ullal Upanagar near Upkar Layout bus stand.

Three persons entered the site and only one could survive. The deceased have been identified as Devbrath from Bihar and Ankit Kumar from Uttar Pradesh. Trilok, another labourer, however, managed to escape.

The deceased were inside working when the rain picked by 5 p.m. The water levels had risen too high by 7 p.m. preventing them from coming out, the DCP explained.

Two contractors have been secured and the role of engineers is being examined. The case is being investigated by Jnanabharthi police station, he said.

The IMD has sounded a red alert in coastal districts and hilly regions of Karnataka for Wednesday. The experts say that due to the cyclone on south-west Arabian Sea, heavy rains with thunderstorms and lightning are expected in the next 24 hours. Bengaluru woke up to drizzles on Wednesday.

However, the effects of heavy rain that lashed the city late Tuesday disrupted life. The traffic on the Bengaluru KempeGowda International Airport (KIAL) highway was affected with the vehicles stranded on the road for more than two hours.

Drain water had flooded houses in Janapriya Layout of R.R. Nagar and many localities in Bengaluru. A 20-feet tall compound wall built six months ago had also collapsed following incessant rains.

Heavy rains have uprooted trees on many arterial roads in Bengaluru, affecting vehicular traffic. A yellow alert has been issued on May 19 and 20 for the Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagalur, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mandya, Mysuru, Ramnagar, Shivamogga and Tumakuru districts.

Due to the incessant rains in Kerala and Madikeri district in Karnataka, the water level in the Krishna Raja Sagar(KRS) Dam in Srirangapatna of Mandya district touched 100 feet. This is the first time in 10 years that the water level has stood at 100 feet during May.