Karnataka has reported 71 fatalities due to rain-related incidents since April 1, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday, May 31. Expressing condolences to the affected families, he announced Rs 5 lakh each compensation to the families of each of the deceased.
The incidents that led to loss of lives included lightning strikes (48 deaths), tree-fall accidents (9), house collapse (5), drownings (4), landslides (4), and electrocution (1). Lives of 702 animals were also lost.
The heavy rains have also taken a toll on infrastructure, with 2,068 houses damaged across the state. Compensation has so far been allocated for 1,926 house. This includes 75 houses completely destroyed and 1,993 that were partially damaged.
Agricultural losses have been severe, with 15,378.32 hectares of crops damaged. Of this, 11,915.66 hectares of agricultural crops and 3,462 hectares of horticultural crops were affected. The Chief Minister assured that details of crop damage are being processed with the help of a software and payments are underway.