Karnataka flood toll rises to 12

The death toll in the Munnar landslide rose to 23 even as search operations continued for 43 persons who are feared trapped under the debris at Pettimudi near Rajamala in Idukki district of Kerala on Friday.

There were 81 people, most of them plantation workers of tea estates, in the area at the time of the mishap. Of these 12 were rescued from the spot on Friday. The local people carried out a massive rescue work.

As it took a couple of hours for the security agencies including police and fire force personnel to reach the mishap spot, the locals mainly plantation workers tried to save as many people risking

Bengaluru, Aug. 8: Swollen rivers and floodlike situation continued to threaten lives and property in several parts of rain-ravaged Karnataka, where the death toll reached 12 on Saturday.

Though there has been a respite from the rain in some parts, rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas in several parts of Malnad, coastal and interior Karnataka. There are also reports of continued

their own heavy rains.

It was a

lives

amid humongous landslides in hilly areas of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru.

Total human loss from August 1 to 6 pm this evening in 12 rain and flood ravaged districts is 12 and five people are missing, according to official data. As many as 70 relief camps are active across the state so far where 1,292 people are taking shelter while 23 animals have died so far. While 276 houses are completely damaged, 1,913 are partially damaged. task since the area was experiencing power cuts for many days and the telecommunication network had been damaged due to the landslide. The place was cut off from the rest of the world.

Soon after the incident, the locals trekked for several kilometres to reach the nearest forest station and inform them about the mishap. Revenue minister E. Chandrashekharan and power minister M. M. Mani went to the site on Saturday to supervise the rescue operations.

The state government on Friday had dispatched 20 ambulances, medical teams, mobile medical units to provide assistance to the people trapped in the landslide. Meanwhile, heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in Kerala with the Met department sounding red alert in Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad districts.