Heavy rains wreak havoc in north Telangana, 10 people washed away

Hyderabad: Ten persons were washed away in separate incidents in Telangana as heavy rains and flash floods wreaked havoc in the state's northern districts, inundating more than 100 villages.

Lakes, tanks, streams and canals were overflowing due to unprecedented rainfall in parts of Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalapally districts.

Breach of some lakes led to submergence of villages and snapping of links to the outside world. People from villages to towns faced the rain fury while road and rail transport was affected.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari said 10,696 people from 108 villages were shifted to safer places. She said 600 people from Morampalli village of Bhupalpally district and 19 workers stranded in a sand quarry near Gopalpur of Manthani in Peddapalli district were rescued and shifted to safer locations.

Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with the help of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police rescued people stranded in Morampalli village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued six people stranded atop a JCB in flooded Morampalli village. The IAF said despite inclement weather, it will continue the rescue effort.

Director General of Fire Services and National Disaster Nagi Reddy said 70 people were rescued from different places. He said boats were pressed into service to rescue people from inundated areas in Warangal town.

NDRF personnel saved seven persons stranded in Munneru river in Khammam while the efforts were on to save five others.

Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar was monitoring rescue operations by the NDRF teams which were called from Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.

The Chief Secretary said that an NDRF team is being sent immediately to Khammam town and a helicopter to Burgampahad as per the orders given by the Chief Minister.

Undivided Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam districts received massive rainfall since Wednesday night. Electricity supply was snapped to several villages.

Laxmidevipeta in Mulugu district recorded the highest-ever rainfall in the state during the last 24 hours period that ended Thursday morning. The village in Venkatapur mandal received rainfall of 64.98 cm.

Officials said the previous highest was 51.75 cm at Wazeed in the same district on July 19, 2013.

Three persons were washed away in floods in Mulugu district. The incident occurred when water from a breached tank entered Burugupeta village in Venkatapuram mandal. Three members of a family including two women were washed away. The body of Saraiah (60) was found while search was on for two others.

Two brothers were washed away in Mahabubabad district. Body of a youth was found while search was on for the second person.

Two persons were washed away with a car in a stream in Hanamkonda district. The incident occurred near Nagaram in Parkala mandal. At Kannaram village in the same district, a youth on a motorbike was washed away while crossing a swollen stream.

A person was killed due to tree fall in Ravulapalli village in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district.

In another incident in Sangareddy district, a man was washed away in a lake. Villagers retrieved his body.

Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary directed the District Collectors to carry out intensive relief and rehabilitation programmes in the areas affected by heavy rains. She held a teleconference with the Collectors and took stock of the relief and rehabilitation measures taken in the districts hit by heavy rains and floods.

DGP Anjani Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Finance, Ramakrishna Rao, Special Chief Secretary, Irrigation, Rajat Kumar, Secretary, Disaster Management, Rahul Bojja, DG Fire Services Department and other senior officials participated in this teleconference.

She stated that relief programmes should be undertaken in flood-prone areas as well as railway stations and bus stands where passengers are stuck and the required blankets, bed sheets and additional medicines will be sent to the districts.

She complimented the District Collectors for having worked together with the district administration so far to prevent loss of life and property even as heavy rains have been lashing the state for the past few days. She asked the officials to work as a team in the days to come.

District Collectors, CPs/SPs have been ordered to stay in the district headquarters and monitor the situation from time to time. She said that people should be made aware of the precautionary measures to be taken due to heavy rains and floods. All primary health centers, community health centers, district hospitals and private hospitals in the districts should be kept open 24 hours a day, she said.