Four members of family feared drowned in Shivamogga canal
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Four members of a family are feared drowned after going missing in a river canal here on Sunday, police said.
The missing have been identified as Neelabai (50), her son Ravikumar (23), daughter Shwetha (24), and son-in-law Parashuram (28).
Police said the family had come to visit relatives in connection with a local jatre (festival).
"Preliminary information suggests the incident occurred when they went to the canal to wash clothes. One person is suspected to have slipped into the water, and the others may have entered in an attempt to rescue them, leading to all four going missing," a police officer said.
Police, fire, and emergency services personnel launched a search operation soon after the incident was reported.
"Search operations are underway to trace the missing persons. However, with darkness setting in, the fire services team is likely to suspend operations and resume them tomorrow," police said.
Senior officers visited the site, reviewed the situation, and consoled the family members.
The incident occurred in the Bhadravathi River Left Bank Canal at Arabilache Camp under Holehonnur police station limits in Bhadravathi taluk.
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Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 15 dead, forcing thousands to flee
Penco (Chile) (AP): Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 15 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 kilometres south of Santiago, the capital.
The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.
“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 C (100 F).
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.
“Many people didn't evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzman, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it."
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.
Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well," said Víctor Burboa, 54. "Everyone here knew them.”
