Mangaluru, Jul 1: Three members of a family, including two girls, were killed and three others were rescued after a rain-triggered landslide destroyed a house here early on Wednesday, NDRF officials said.
The incident occurred behind the Kankanady Police Station in the Nagori area of Mangaluru following heavy overnight rainfall that triggered a landslide, burying the house under a mound of earth, they said.
According to officials, six members of the family were trapped beneath the debris when the house collapsed. Residents, personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services, and other rescue teams rushed to the spot and launched an operation to extricate the victims.
The deceased were identified as Shanta (46), her eight-year-old daughter Anamika Chaurasia, and four-year-old daughter Pari.
Three others — Balkrishna (48), Alka (14) and Anusha (11) — were rescued alive from the debris and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, officials said.
The family, originally from Bihar, had been residing in the Kankanady area for the past two decades. Preliminary findings indicated that a large mass of soil from the hill above the house gave way due to incessant rain, leading to the collapse of the structure.
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) later joined the search and rescue operation. The bodies of the three victims were recovered from beneath the debris, after which the operation was concluded.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Darshan visited the site, reviewed the situation and received updates from officials overseeing the rescue efforts.
The district administration has urged people living in hilly and landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions as heavy rains continue to lash the coastal district. They have also initiated a study of the area surrounding the site to find out if the area is safe for residents.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Health Minister UT Khadar, who is from Dakshina Kannada district visited the landslide site on Wednesday afternoon and said natural disasters could not be predicted, but stressed that the tragedy should serve as an “early warning” for the entire coastal region.
He said police, local residents and emergency personnel had responded immediately after the incident and assured that the district administration would provide free and quality medical treatment to the injured survivors.
Khader said compensation had been extended to the families of the deceased despite them being natives of another state, asserting that “every life is valuable”.
Later, the Minister also visited the surviving members of the family in the hospital and assured the family that he would try for maximum financial relief from the government.
He said officials had already identified landslide-prone and vulnerable locations across the district and appealed to residents living in high-risk areas to voluntarily move to safer places.
Khader said those residing on government land at dangerous locations should approach the authorities for relocation and assistance.
He also said financial assistance would be provided to the owner of the damaged house for repairs so that the displaced family could return after restoration of the building.
The minister urged the public to remain vigilant and immediately inform authorities if they notice cracks, soil movement or other signs of danger in vulnerable areas.
He also warned that private property owners would be held accountable if negligence on their part resulted in loss or hardship to residents.(PTI)
