Bengaluru:
One person was killed while scores of houses collapsed in parts of Karnataka as the flood situation worsened in the southern state on Tuesday.
Schools were shut and bus and train services cancelled due to the heavy downpour, coupled with water released from dams in neighbouring Maharashtra, official sources said.
Belagavi bore the brunt as water from the Koyna dam in neighbouring Maharashtra gushed into the Krishna river.
According to police, a 25-year-old man was killed at Hoskote in Bylahongal taluk of Belagavi district when the wall of his house crashed on him.
Besides the Krishna river, the Markandeya, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Bheema rivers are in spate, wreaking havoc in many parts of the state.
Water from the Markandeya river gushed into Gokak and Hukkeri in Belagavi, reports said.
The districts hit due to the torrential rains and subsequent flooding are Belagavi, Vijayapura, Yadgiri, Raichur, Bagalkot, Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada.
Landslips were reported from some affected districts, leading to disruption in the road and rail networks.
Many schools were shut in Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Mangaluru, Udupi, Vijayapura, Yadgiri, Raichur and Kodagu, official sources said.
The gates of the barrages and the Almatti dam built across the Krishna river and its tributaries in Karnataka were opened due to heavy inflows.
While thousands of hectares of land have been submerged, the National Highway-4 from Pune to Bengaluru was cut off at Belagavi.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) cancelled many buses from Belagavi to Pune.
The huge inflow into the Krishna river forced the Basava Sagara dam authorities in Vijayapura to open 21 of its 31 gates, official sources said.
Train services were also hit due to the floods.
In a statement, the South Western Railway said services between Londa and Tinai Ghat stands suspended till the situation returns to normal.
A defence spokesperson said 15 Army columns from Dakshin Bharat area, each comprising 60 jawans, besides NDRF, SDRF, police and home guards have been deployed for rescue and rehabilitation work.
