South African Hindu temple completely destroyed by unprecedented flood
Johannesburg (PTI): A 70-year-old Hindu temple in the sprawling Indian township of Chatsworth, south of the coastal city of Durban in South Africa, was among the scores of buildings left completely destroyed by unprecedented flood waters and mudslides that ravaged the city on Tuesday morning.
At least 45 people were reported dead, hundreds treated at hospitals for injuries and highways and urban streets had scores of cars floating in knee high water after four days of incessant rain.
Meteorologists said the situation could have been much worse, as the bulk of the storm remained off the coasts of Durban.
Horrified devotees looked on from higher vantage points on a nearby bridge as the temple, situated on the banks of the Umhlatuzana River, rapidly broke into pieces and floated down the river.
During earlier heavy rains and flooding four years ago, the temple suffered some damage, but was restored at a cost of half a million rands.
Now it is completely gone, said a sobbing elderly woman identified only as Kamatchee, who said her father was part of the team that built the temple after South African Indians from all over Durban were forcibly resettled in Chatsworth by the apartheid-era separate development policy of racially segregated group areas.
The deities in our Vishnu temple are still there, but in the mother temple everything is gone. We could not remove them because they are solid granite and are fixed to the temple floor, assistant secretary of the temple committee Kureasha Moodley, told the news site IOL.
It is the only temple in the area and I think our devotees have been coming here for over 60 to 70 years. For the past number of years, we have built it up and extended and even added a hall, but after this it will take us a very long time to get back to where we were, Moodley said.
The last time, the mother temple and some parts of the yard were still standing. The water came in through doors and windows, but this time the temple yard is non-existent, she added.
Chaos in Durban continued throughout Tuesday as embattled rescue workers used rubber dinghies to save people trapped on the higher floors or roofs of their homes.
Workers were airlifted from the rooftop of South Africa's largest crude oil refinery after it remained submerged and a worker sent out an SOS via social media.
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KCOCA invoked against two accused in land dispute murder case
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Police have invoked provisions of the stringent KCOCA against two people in connection with a series of violent crimes, including murder, arising out of a prolonged land dispute in this district, officials said on Monday.
According to police, section 3 of the KCOCA was invoked after an assessment revealed the accused persons' - gangster Kali Yogish and alleged land shark Yogish Acharya- alleged involvement in multiple serious offences over a sustained period.
Accused Yogish has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a special KCOCA court in Mysuru, while gangster Kali, who is absconding, is believed to be residing abroad.
The case dates back to December 2022, when Kaup police registered an assault case against the accused duo and their associates for allegedly attacking a person identified as Chandrashekhar and others following a dispute over land ownership.
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The conflict escalated in March 2023 with the murder of a person identified as Sharath Shetty. Police said Shetty was allegedly killed for refusing to support Yogish and for assisting Chandrashekar in the land dispute.
A murder case was registered at Kaup police station, with Chandrashekar cited as a key witness in both cases.
Police further stated that on October 20, 2025, Chandrashekar received a threat at around 8.15 pm, warning him against deposing in court. He was allegedly asked to resolve a financial dispute with Yogish Acharya and threatened with death if he failed to comply.
Based on his complaint, a case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The investigation was supervised by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Karkala subdivision, Harsha Priyamvada.
Accused Yogish Acharya was initially arrested on October 24, 2025, and later released on bail. He was subsequently re-arrested after the invocation of KCOCA and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
