5 dead as rain continues to wreak havoc in K'taka

A 23-year-old woman was electrocuted to death in rain-battered Bengaluru as the inundated metropolis struggled to get back on its feet on Tuesday after a deluge and poor urban planning prompted authorities to deploy boats, earthmovers and tractors to help people wading through waist-high sheets of water and slush.

- Arun Dev and Sharan Poovanna

The government ordered schools to remain closed and directed companies to ask employees for work from home as rainfall began late on Tuesday, hampering efforts to pump out water from low-lying areas and flooded apartment blocks and slum colonies.

The woman, Akhila, was killed late at night on Monday when she accidentally touched an electric pole after her scooter developed a snag due to the flooding in the Siddapura area, police said.

"We called her last night and she had told me that she will come home, once the rain stops... no child should face what my child faced. Our life was dependent on her," said her father, Somasekhar.

Four other people were killed across the state due to the torrential rainfall. This included constables Mahesh Vakkarad and Ningappa Halavagalii, who were attached to Mundaragi police station in Gadag district.