The flood situation eased in north Karnataka as the week-long rains showed signs of abating but the toll mounted to 194 today with the recovery of 26 more bodies.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, undertook an aerial survey of the ravaged areas in Bellary District. Torrential rains that left a trail of death and destruction in 15 districts damaging over 252,000 houses in 1,467 villages subsided since Sunday, officials said.
After the aerial survey, Yeddyurappa said the state has suffered an unprecedented damage exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. Bijapur district bore the brunt of the rain fury with 31 deaths followed by Raichur and Bagalkote (26 each). Over 453,000 people have been sheltered in 13,330 relief camps. A 500 metre-long bridge across the Tungabhadra river, 32 km from Raichur, was washed away in flood waters, officials said.
A large number of villages still remained marooned and air force, Army and National Disaster Response Force teams were carrying out relief and rescue operations in full swing. IAF choppers did several sorties, dropping food packets and relief materials to the disaster-stricken people, who have been rendered homeless.
Yeddyurappa, heading the BJP government, complimented the Centre for extending assistance to the state in the form of helicopters, boats and National Disaster Response Force teams to carry out relief and rescue operations.