Lightning claims eight lives as rains lash parts of Karnataka

May 10, 2017

Bengaluru, May 10: Moderate to heavy rains continued to lash parts of Karnataka while lighting claimed eight lives and injured many others in the state.

Four persons were killed as lightning struck them in Chitradurga district on Tuesday evening. In Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga, three youths were killed as lightning struck them in the backwaters of the Vanivilas Sagar reservoir near Aranakanive village. The dead are Harishnaik (26), Mallesh Naik (28) and Chayapathi (28) of the village.

The incident took place when the trio and their four friends went for fishing in a coracle in the backwaters of the reservoir. Mallesh Naik was working as a guest lecturer at Hosadurga government first grade college, while Chayapathi was a teacher at a private high school in Challakere.

A woman was struck dead by lightning when she was working at a horticulture farm near Bandravi in Chitradurga taluk on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Jambamma (35) of Bandravi village.

Shillikyatara Gundappa, a labourer, died when lightning struck him at Allipur village in Hoovinahadagali taluk of Ballari district. The incident occurred when Gundappa and Mookappa, a co-worker, were returning home after work. Mookappa has suffered severe injuries. Three people, including a woman, were killed on the spot as they were struck by lightning at M Shettahalli of Periyapatna taluk, Mysuru district on Tuesday.

The deceased are Beeregowda (45) and his son Shivakumar (15). The two were taking shelter from rain under a tree when the incident occurred at around 1.30 pm. They were planting tobacco saplings in their field when rain stopped their work.

Eramma of Kuppalli, KR Nagar taluk in the district was also struck dead by lightning.

Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan districts received moderate to heavy rain on Tuesday. Mysuru city received hailstorms for an hour.

People in Chikkaballapur town were treated to a spectacle on Tuesday evening as it rained giant hailstones. Tree falls and destruction of crops were reported at some places.

Two persons suffered injuries when lightning struck them at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district on Monday night. The injured are Puthra (37) and his wife Baby.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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