Landslide at Banglagudde: 2 children dead after trapped under debris; 2 houses destroyed

Landslide at Banglagudde: 2 children dead after trapped under debris; 2 houses destroyed

Mangalore Today News Network

Bantwal, July 5, 2020: In a tragic incident, two children were killed after a landslide in Banglagudde near Gurupura on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

Safwan (16) and Sahala (10), residents of Banglagudde and reportedly from the same family, were trapped after a minor landslide occurred around 12.30 pm on Sunday afternoon.

Visuals of the landslide show houses sliding down. At least two houses were reduced to rubble according to local residents. The landslide occurred in an area with uneven terrain.

Fire department officials and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot after the landslide caused debris to fall on houses in Banglagudde. The two children were trapped for hours and despite a rescue effort by fire department officials and NDRF personnel, local residents told TNM that the children were found dead in the evening.

Eight others including the family members of the two children survived the incident. They have been evacuated to a temporary shelter nearby. Residents of 14 houses nearby were also asked to leave the area and relocate to a safer place in a school nearby. There are 35 residents in these houses.

The landslide occurred after a week of persistent rains in Mangaluru. Seven Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) stations in coastal Karnataka recorded heavy rainfall on Saturday (until 8:30 am on Sunday).

BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who is also the State President of the party, arrived on the spot on Sunday evening and promised compensation for the victims’ families.