Tauktae cyclone destroys 121 villages in Karnataka, 6 people dead

Bengaluru: On Monday, as the cyclone Tauktae hit the coastal and surrounding Malnad districts of Karnataka, six people have lost their lives till now.

A situation report by the officials of Karnataka State Disaster Management stated that 121 villages and 22 taluks have been impacted till now. It said, a total of 547 people have been evacuated so far and 290 people are presently taking shelter in the 13 relief camps that have been opened.

The report also stated that till now, 333 houses have been damaged. Also, 644 poles, 147 transformers, 3,004.3 meters of lines, 57 km of road, 57 nets and 104 boats have been destroyed. Agriculture loss has been around 30 ha and horticulture loss is about 2.87 ha.

According to the forecast by the Met department, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning with light to moderate spells of rain and gusty winds speed of 30-40 kmph is expected to impact Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Haveri, Dharwad, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Kodagu, Chikkamaguluru and Shivamogga districts.

On Sunday, the officials had said that as the cyclone was moving north, towards the Maharashtra coast, its impact is expected to decrease from Monday over the state.

Nearly 1,000 trained personnel from the fire force, police, coastal police, home guards, SDRF have been placed in the three coastal and neighbouring districts for rescue and relief operations. Also, NDRF teams have been included.

In the meantime, officials informed that all 9 crew stranded on tug ‘Coromandel’ have been saved. Indian Navy’s ALH helicopter had rescued four seamen stranded onboard the Tug. Whereas, the other five of them were rescued by boat. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is thankful to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the rescue operation.