Heavy rains pound Bhatkal

July 31, 2014 | Rizwan Gangavaly | Bhatkallys News Bhatkal: Torrential rains pounded Bhatkal and several towns and villages in Uttar Kannada district since Wednesday confining people to stay indoors. Heavy rains that began on Wednesday resulted in several rivers and sea approaching the danger mark and at other replaces there were reports of damage to houses and injuries caused due to collapsing of trees. Nearly 20 farmers were injured in Karwar when heavy storm caused branches of a tree to fell on them, a source informed. There were also reports of damages to houses in Tenginagundi and Heble area of Bhatkal. 131.4 mm rain was recorded in Bhatkal from Wednesday 8 am to Thursday 8 am, weather officials informed. Meanwhile, the death toll in the landslide at Malin village near Pune rose to 23 Thursday morning even as rescue workers resumed operations, which were hampered during the night due to rain and poor visibility. As many as 44 houses were crushed in Malin village, situated in Ambegaon taluka, some 120km from the district headquarters here in western Maharashtra, by the massive landslide that occurred on Wednesday morning trapping about 160 people under the debris after large parts of a hillside collapsed on them. According to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials, 23 bodies have been recovered so far from under the debris by NDRF jawans, who also saved eight injured persons pulling them out alive.