Just an hour of rain has brought Bengaluru to its knees again. In shocking incidents across the city, two people lost their lives while three are reported missing due to the rain.
A couple was killed in a wall collapse and three people, two women and a priest are suspected to have been washed away in storm water drains in Kurubarahalli and Laggere areas on Friday night.
According to BBMP officials, a priest at a temple in Basaveshwaranagar was washed away by an overflowing storm water drain at around 7 pm.
The priest, Vasudev, was outside the Venkateswara temple, which is located near a tertiary storm water drain in SVK Layout.
“The drain suddenly started overflowing as there was already sewage inflow. This mixed with the rain water began flowing out. The priest is suspected to have been washed away in the drain,” an official at the BBMP control room told TNM.
Heavy rains lashed parts of Kurubarahalli and Mahalakshmi Layout and a major storm water drain started overflowing there as well.
The police, members of the Fire and Emergency Services along with BBMP personnel and ambulances, have been stationed near the temple and a search operation is on to find Vasudev.
The police are also making announcements through loudspeakers so that people in the area do not venture outside their homes.
In Kuruburahalli 18th cross, a married couple – Shankarappa and Kamalamma, both in their forties, died instantly when the compound wall of their house collapsed on them.
The couple was clearing off water, which had entered their house at around 7.30pm. They were disposing the water through buckets when the mishap occurred. They were declared brought dead at a private hospital nearby.
In Laggere’s Kempegowda Layout, a 55-year-old woman named Meenakshi and her 22-year-old daughter are suspected to have been washed away in a storm water drain. Fire and Emergency services rushed to the spot and a search operation is on.
Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj took the Metro to visit the spots where the mishaps occurred as there is severe traffic congestion at Majestic, Koramangala, Magadi Road, Okalipura, Shivananda Circle, and Vijayanagar.