Lightning kills 13

• Rains, gales play havoc in four districts
• Crops in 56,000 hectares inundated
• Officials submit reports to Raghuveera
• Electric poles, trees uprooted; traffic disrupted

Hyderabad : Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy who reviewed the rain situation said 13 persons died after lightning struck them during heavy showers accompanied by heavy gales and high velocity winds in Nellore, Nalgonda, Guntur and Prakasam districts on Monday. Three deaths each occurred in the districts, while a youth died in Srikakulam district.

Officials submitted reports from the affected districts to the minister. Reddy said crops in 56,000 hectares were inundated and 112 cattle perished. According to reports, in Guntur district one death each occurred in Kakanuru, Cherukupalli and Achampet mandals. In Prakasam district too three persons died in Martur, Addanki and Korasipadu mandals. In Guntur among the dead was Pedamandipadu Adamma(45) who was struck by lightning while picking groundnut in fields. Another woman was seriously injured.

A couple, Narsing Nagaiah(50) and his wife Sushila(45) of Jonnagatlagudam village in Tipparti mandal of Nalgonda district, Sunkaboyina Kanakaiah(40) of Urmadla in Chityal mandal were killed.A In Nellore district, three persons including a woman died. They included Kakamani Pedavengamma(40) of Agraharam village in Kondapuram mandal, D. Balaiah (40) and Sushila of Kothapalli village. Four persons were injured in the district.

One of them was stated to be serious. In Srikakulam district elephants also caused damaged to paddy crop and banana and jackfruit plantations.