18-yr-old girl washed away in swollen Ghataprabha

Hubballi: An 18-year-old girl, Ayesha, was swept away by the swollen Ghataprabha as she was washing clothes on its banks at Koujalagi village in Gokak taluk Friday.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa supervised the rescue operations in flood-hit districts. Three helicopters lifted people stranded in  Belagavi, Bagalkot and Gadag, to safety. Helicopters also dropped food packets in Nargund and Ron taluks in Gadag district. The police resorted to a lathi-charge as flood victims jostled for the temporary relief provided to them in Konnur village.

Meanwhile, the historic temples of Aihole, Galaganath, Ramalingeshwar, Adaveshwar and other villages in Bagalkote district were submerged and water entered  Pattadakal, home to a world heritage site, as the Malaprabha river overflowed.

Thousands of devotees of 12th century social reformer Basavanna had a hard time as water entered the Kudal Sangamanath temple in Kudal Sangam, Hungund taluk where his samadhi is located. A hanging bridge, built three years ago in Ramdurg, collapsed  and hundreds of villagers, who had passed the staff selection examinations in Chikkodi taluk lost their documents in the floods.  Around 15 villages of Badami taluk have been flooded.