Gadag :Farmers in Gadag heaved a sigh of relief with heavy rains pounding the district late on Saturday night.

Heavy rain coupled with thunder and gusty winds brought respite from the sweltering heat.

Farmers had been in a quandary since it had not rained even by the end of June.

Saturday’s rain will trigger farming activities in the district.

A 55-year-old woman was washed away in a pond between Mulgund and Neelgund. Bharamavva was returning home from her lands and was unable to gauge the water flow in the pond.

The rescue attempts made my Adiveppa, her husband, went in vain.

He saved himself from drowning by holding on to a tree by the side of the pond.

The body of Bharavamma was traced about a km away from the place where she drowned. Mulgund police have registered a case.