Seven from two families dead after landslide in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district

In a major rain related disaster, seven members of two families were killed when a huge hill collapsed on their houses in Shirur village of Ankola taluk in Uttara Kannada district on Tuesday morning, Canara MP Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri said.

Based on the information provided by Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner Gangubayi Manakar, the BJP MP said about 15-people were feared stuck in the mud, entire district administration camped in the site supervising the rescue operation. "Those stuck in the mud and boulder were included five members from a family," Kageri said.

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"Dozens of hills collapsed due to incessant rains lashing in the district since a week. The one caused for the disaster was of large sized which collapsed completely on the two houses," Kageri said.

Several vehicles parked beside the highway to visit the hotels were also damaged with fall of mud and boulders. A gas tanker which was also parked fell into Gangavali river with hit of a large boulder. The driver and cliner who were in the vehicle when the incident occurred were feared drowned. "The staff from fire fighter and emergency services with the hrlp of expert swimmers searching for the missing truck crew," Uttara Kannada superintendent of police Narayan M said.

"Based on the primary report, 15-people were stuck in the mud, the real number will be known after completion of the rescue operations," the officer said, adding that at least 24 hour required to clear to lift up the fallen mud and boulders.

The hill was cut partially to expand the width of the highway to fourline for which the hill got weak with loosing its strength, DC Gangubayi Manakar said.

Apart, a large sized hill collapsed also near Baskeri in Honnavar taluk of the district causing halt of the traffic on national highway No., 69, in the early hours on Tuesday.

Hundreds of vehicles on either side if the road waited for about 10-hours for the road clearance as many boulders were fallen on the in about a hundred meter stretch.

The collapse of the hill on the road also contained large boulfers had halted the traffic for about ten hours, the road links to major cities like Karwar, Ankola, Kumata, Mangaluru, Kerala, Goa states.