Four killed as heavy rains lash Bangalore

BANGALORE, Oct 1: At least four persons were killed and 20 injured following unprecedented rains that lashed the city on Tuesday night, inu...

BANGALORE, Oct 1: At least four persons were killed and 20 injured following unprecedented rains that lashed the city on Tuesday night, inundating several low-lying areas and sweeping away hundreds of huts in various slums in the city.

While two children are feared to have been killed in Rajendranagar slum near Koramangala after the wall of their hut collapsed, an unidentified man was found drowned in flood waters in front of Harishchandra Ghat at Srirampuram.Another person died when a compound wall collapsed on him.

Weather sources attributed the “highest ever rainfall in nine years” to an upper air trough running from south-east Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu over Rayalseema which had resulted in “thunderstorm activity” in Bangalore and its neighbourhood.

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If the city’s residents thought the worst of the deluge was over on Tuesday night, dark clouds circled the city on Wednesday. Rain came down with a fury unseen in the recent past, wrecking havoc in entire areas.

Wednesday being a Government holiday, many people preferred to stay indoors. “Had offices and schools remained open, it would have been impossible to get home,” said Siddagangaiah, a police constable.

The worst affected areas were Brindavan Nagar and SBM Layout in Mathikere, besides the Rajendranagar slums in Koramangala, Gundopanth street in City Market, Sultanpet, Nagashettyhalli, Dollars colony, Kodigehalli, Sagaipuram, Egipuram, V V Nagar, Chowdaiah block, Gutahalli main road, Saraswathipuram, J C Nagar main road, Shivajinagar, Goripalya and Ulsoor.

A culvert at Momipura near Goripalya was washed away while a wall was deliberately demolished to allow flood waters to flow away near Mathikere.

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Frantic calls for help flooded The Indian Express office. People complained that authorities had not responded to their calls for help.