Heavy rains cause havoc in Karnataka, 3 killed in landslide

On Sunday, fire and rescue personnel pulled out bodies of three lifeless children after they were buried alive following a landslide in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district. 

In Kumta taluk, the bodies of one-year-old Dhanush Manjunath Ambiga, seven-year-old Yatin Narayan Ambiga and twelve-year-old Bhavya Narayan Ambiga of Tandrakuli village were recovered. At least eight houses along the roadside were destroyed. 

Deccan Chronicle reports that the incident happened around 10 am and while Dhanush and Yatin were rushed to the hospital, they could not be saved. Bhavya's body was recovered after two hours.

Sunday saw two instances of landslides, one in Kumta taluk in Uttara Kannada on National Highway 66 which claimed the lives of the three children and injured several others, and a second one on the same highway near Ottinene in Udupi district. The landslide near Udupi held up traffic for more than five hours. 

According to reports, Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner S S Nakul announced compensation of Rs 4 lakhs to the families of the deceased children. 

A resident told The Times of India that mud rolled off a cliff adjacent to the highway and fell on the houses along the roadside that belonged to fishermen. While the rest of the people residing there managed to escape, the three children were trapped. 

"As the rain beat down on the houses, some with tiled roofs and some with metal, a huge heap of mud and boulders came down all of a sudden. Some of us could escape but the three children were trapped in mud. It all happened in just about five minutes and we could do nothing. We watched helplessly," a resident told the newspaper. 

Following the incident, Kumta MLA Sharada Shetty visited the spot. 

The residents have reportedly blamed unscientific infrastructure work on the highway as the reason for the landslide.