Hunsur: Heavy rains accompanied with gusty winds, thunder and lightning, which lashed across the taluk on Saturday night, has brought down hundreds of trees along with numerous electric poles and two transformers, plunging many villages in the taluk into darkness.

Heavy rains with gusty winds, which began to lash at around 8.30 pm, uprooted two giant Peepal trees aged about 250 years. Also, a solar water heater panel and a water tank installed on the terrace of the house belonging to one Subbanna flew and fell on the roof of the neighbouring house damaging the roof. This resulted in rain water entering the house through the damaged roof and damaging household articles.

A huge tree also fell on an auto and a house belonging to Akbar Pasha damaging them. The shop belonging to one Kamalamma in CMC Complex has been damaged and two Nilgiri trees fell on a tender coconut laden truck near Court Circle, which was ready to proceed to Mumbai. A tree fell on power lines near Kalpataru Circle, bringing down electric poles. A tree fell across a road near H.D. Kote Circle disrupting traffic. Amma Canteen in front of the Tahsildar’s Office has been damaged as a tree fell on it and many houses in the taluk have been damaged in the rains.

About 10 to 12 trees near the Fire Brigade on Hunsur-Mysuru National Highway-275 got uprooted and fell across the Highway bringing vehicular traffic on the Highway to a halt from 10 pm to 12 midnight. Hundreds of vehicles had lined up on the Highway and personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services Department, Home Guards and Forest Department, who arrived at the spot, cleared the fallen trees and made way for smooth flow of traffic. As numerous electric poles had come crashing down, CESC personnel were seen struggling to restore power supply even after 6 pm on Sunday.

MLA H.P. Manjunath, Tahsildar Dr. Ashok, Dy.SP Raviprasad, Municipal Commissioner Ravikumar, CESC Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Siddappa and others conducted an inspection of affected places in the town and instructed officials to speed up the relief works.