Lightning kills one in Yelwal

• Victim, an IT employee from Kodagu, was visiting Mysuru to check on his property
• 40 lightning deaths in Mysuru region remain a concern: KSNDMC

Mysore/Mysuru: A 43-year-old Software Engineer from Kodagu district was killed after being struck by lightning near Yelwal on the outskirts of Mysuru yesterday evening. The deceased has been identified as Hosoklu Roshan Balakrishna. He is survived by his wife, son and mother.

Roshan, son of late Balakrishna, a retired Excise Department officer, was residing at Jalashaya Layout in Madikeri and had been managing the family’s coffee plantation following his father’s death two years ago.

He was employed in the IT sector in Bengaluru under a hybrid work model, balancing his professional commitments with estate management. His mother is a retired Nursing Supervisor.

The incident occurred between 5 pm and 5.30 pm when Roshan, along with his family members, stopped near Yelwal to inspect a roadside property owned by them. After inspecting the site, he reportedly went near a mango tree to pluck fruits when lightning struck him on the shoulder, causing him to collapse on the spot.

Family members immediately shifted him to a nearby NG Hospital, where doctors found no vital signs. He was later taken to Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, where he was declared brought dead.

After medico-legal formalities, the body was shifted to K.R. Hospital for post-mortem.

Last rites will be held at Heravanadu in Madikeri, where the family owns coffee plantation.

According to data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), 40 people died due to thunder and lightning in the Mysuru-Mandya-Chamarajanagar region between 2011 and 2023. Of these, Mysuru recorded 16 deaths, Mandya 18 and Chamarajanagar 6.

In 2024, Mysuru reported two lightning-related deaths, while one death was reported in 2025 and two more in 2026 till May.

Interestingly, Kodagu, a district frequently affected by floods and landslides, has reported six deaths between 2011 and 2023. Across Karnataka, 946 deaths due to lightning were recorded during the same period.

The data forms part of the Karnataka State Thunder Storm and Lightning Action Plan 2022, prepared by KSNDMC. The report noted that thunderstorms and lightning have emerged as major weather hazards in recent years and identified the south-western parts of Karnataka as vulnerable to cloud-to-ground lightning strikes.

KSNDMC has undertaken district-wise mapping of cloud-to-ground lightning incidents after launching a lightning monitoring network. The project involved the installation of 11 lightning detection sensor stations to collect data on both thunderstorms and lightning activity, including cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground strikes.

According to study, Mysuru district recorded 13,437 cloud-to-ground lightning incidents between June 2018 and December 2021. Mandya recorded 14,138 incidents, while Chamarajanagar reported 8,635 incidents during same period.

The report pointed out that rural and forest areas are the most vulnerable due to the presence of tall trees and water bodies, with a majority of victims being people working in agricultural fields in rural areas.