Three killed in Karnataka landslide as heavy rain disrupts rail services

Heavy rainfall in Karnataka killed three people in a landslide in Shivamogga, disrupted rail services in the Malnad region and boosted inflows into Cauvery basin reservoirs. Authorities issued weather warnings as rising river levels and flooding prompted evacuation advisories

Bengaluru: Heavy rainfall in Karnataka led to a rise in inflows into the Cauvery basin reservoirs, easing concerns over water scarcity. It also led to three deaths in Shivamogga district and rail traffic was affected in Malnad region, authorities said on Sunday.

Three members of a family, including a three-year-old child, were killed in a rain-triggered landslide in Shivamogga district. Police said Mallikarjun (35), his wife Nagaveni (28) and their son Santosh (3), residents of Kokkaregaru village in Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district, were asleep when a hillock collapsed on their shed at Indiranagar in Thirthahalli taluk at around 2.30 am. A person staying in a neighbouring shed also sustained serious injuries and was admitted to a private hospital.

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Fire and Emergency Services personnel and police carried out rescue operations to retrieve the bodies from the debris. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said extremely heavy rainfall continued over parts of the Malnad and coastal regions, with Agumbe in Shivamogga district recording 197 mm during the 24 hours ending 5.30 am on Sunday, followed by Gonikoppal in Kodagu (66 mm), Brahmavara in Udupi (60 mm), Balehonnur in Chikkamagaluru (58 mm) and Sirsi in Uttara Kannada (52.5 mm). Mangaluru recorded 37.8 mm at the airport, while Bengaluru registered only trace rainfall at its observatories.

Heavy rain also triggered a landslide between Edakumari and Shribagilu railway stations in Hassan district’s Sakleshpur taluk, damaging tracks and forcing the suspension of seven train services connecting Bengaluru with Mangaluru, Karwar, Kozhikode, Murudeshwar and Vijayapura.

Railway authorities advised passengers to make alternative travel arrangements after mud and boulders fell on the tracks. The disruption also affected candidates travelling for the Civil Police Constable examination, officials said.

Meanwhile, continuous rainfall in Kerala and the Cauvery catchment significantly improved water storage in Karnataka’s reservoirs. Officials said inflows into the Kabini reservoir at Beechanahalli in Mysuru district rose to about 30,000 cusecs, while outflows increased to around 25,000 cusecs as the reservoir level reached about 82 feet against its full reservoir level of 84 feet.

The increased discharge submerged the low-level Bidarahalli bridge in Saragur taluk, prompting authorities to warn people living along the Kabini river to move to safer places.

The Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in Mandya district also registered a sharp rise, with the water level increasing from about 92 feet to 97 feet within two days and storage rising from around 17 TMC to 20.477 TMC, according to officials.

The improved inflows have eased concerns over water availability amid the ongoing Cauvery water-sharing dispute and reduced fears that reservoirs were nearing dead storage levels. The IMD on Sunday also issued a three-hour nowcast warning for Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts, forecasting moderate rain with intense spells accompanied by sustained winds of 40-50 kmph at isolated places.

It warned of temporary power disruptions, minor traffic snarls, damage to weak trees, kutcha structures and harvested crops, and advised people to remain indoors, avoid travel where possible, stay away from waterbodies and unplug electrical appliances.