Uttara Kannada rains: Coast Guard rescue teams save 155 lives in day-long operation

Uttara Kannada: In a day-long rescue operation in Karnataka, the Indian Coast Guard saved 155 people who were stranded in flood-ravaged Uttara Kannada district on Friday, July 23.

According to a Coast Guard release, units were kept on standby for rescue and providing relief to marooned and stranded people.

The rescue operation was part of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) with each team consisting of seven to nine Coast guard personnel was formed and deployed in the flood-affected region of Kadra, Unglijoog Island and Kharegoog Island of Uttar Kannada, it said.

The statement added that a team one rescued a total of 90 people from Khargejoog village while the rescue team two rescued 10 from Bodojoog island in association with the state administration.

The rescue operations were conducted by the Disaster Response Teams (DRTs) using two rubberised inflatable boats, life jackets, and lifebuoys.

In this early morning operation, 23 stranded personnel were rescued and engaged for the relief operation, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said that this is the first time that more than 500 mm of rainfall has been recorded in the state.

The Ankola-Dongri stretch in Uttara Kannada witnessed 541 mm of rainfall in 24 hours between July 22 and July 23.

In the same duration, 42 TMC of water was added in 13 major reservoirs of the state.

According to the KSNDMC officials, a total of 18 taluks across six districts have reported notable damages. A total of 8,733 persons living in low-lying and vulnerable areas have been shifted by respective district administrations. A total of 4,964 persons residing in Uttara Kannada (3,066), Shivamogga (8) and Belagavi (1,890) districts have taken refuge in 80 relief camps.