Bengaluru: Torrential rain continued to cause a flood-like situation across Karnataka Saturday with the death toll rising to 9. The continuous rain affected 12 districts of north Karnataka, coastal Karnataka and Malnad region.
It is estimated that some 830 houses collapsed, 15 school buildings were damaged and 8,733 people, including women and children, have been shifted to safer places across the state.
The state government has opened 80 relief centres. As heavy rain continued to lash the Western Ghat region, life was thrown out of gear in north Karnataka districts and coastal Karnataka region.
The body of a 12-year-old girl Kiran Shanura Veebhuti, who was washed away in the floods on Friday, was found by rescue teams at Chikkodi in Belagavi district.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in 12 districts for rescue operations.
Since the water flow towards the dams across the state is steadily increasing, water is being released from dams and this is causing the rivers to cross danger levels, endangering the safety of people.
Due to floods in the Western Ghats, all major connecting roads to the rest of Karnataka have been closed. The Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway has also been closed as it is impossible to cross the inundated stretch of roads that run through thickly forested areas.
As many as 300 people in Yaduravadi village of Belagavi district were evacuated in boats to safer places as the village was inundated. The rain water has submerged thousands of houses and several others are on the verge of collapse in the region.
The floods have damaged state highways across Kodagu district. Many villages in Hassan, Chikmagalur and Shivamogga districts have been flooded.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned that heavy rain will continue to lash Udupi, Mangalore, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Shivamogga and Hassan districts for five more days. A red alert has already been sounded across the state.