Flash rains wreak havoc: Five killed

Welcome showers in city, too T districts, Anantapur bear the brunt Hailstorms damage crops Hyderabad: The twin cities which had been reeling under scorching heat since the advent of summer received showers on Tuesday. Parts of the capital including Charminar, Chandrayangutta, Dilsukhnagar and Kothapet experienced heavy downpour, while it was a normal rain in Secunderabad, Bashirbagh, Himayatnagar, Lakdikapul, Abids, Koti and several other areas. Water logging on the roads led to huge traffic jams. Power supply was also affected in some parts as it rained for nearly two hours. The Met office said thunder showers were likely during the next 24 hours in Telangana and Rayalaseema regions. In the last 24 hours, 4 cm of rainfall was recorded in Rudrur, Metpally, three cm each in Adilabad, Mudhol, Sircilla, Dubbaka and 2 cm in Madhira, Madakasiri, Bodhan and Banswada. Meanwhile, rains accompanied by heavy gales and hailstorms lashed different parts of the state, leaving five dead and damaging standing crops extensively. Five districts in Telangana region including twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad bore the brunt of the untimely occurrence, attributed to the influence of low pressure developed in Bay of Bengal. The rains wreaked havoc on the peasant community. The unseasonal rains along with hailstorms caused extensive damage in several places in Nizamabad, Anantapur, Karimnagar and Medak districts. A woman aged 60, Merugu Bala Rajavva, was killed when a tree fell on her at Muthyampet in Domakonda mandal of Nizambad district, where four persons were killed on Monday.

A three-storeyed building struck by a thunderbolt was damaged partially at Taranagar in Serilingampally in the afternoon. Several surrounding buildings suffered cracks. Tin sheets of various houses were broken. No loss of life was reported. In Medak district rain caused heavy damage to the crops. In some areas electric poles and hundreds of trees were uprooted and cars, autos and two-wheelers were damaged. In Sangareddy, the tin roof part of DEO's office collapsed. Cell tower on a building near the bus stand crashed. Several poultry farms collapsed causing loss of lakhs of rupees. Farmers in the mandals of Banswada, Gandhari mandals and Nizamabad had borne the brunt of the downpour. Trees crashed to the ground at several places obstructing vehicular traffic. More than 25 persons were injured across the district in house-collapses and falling of trees and hoardings. Many were hospitalized. The crop loss included 10,000 acres of paddy and 7,500 acres of maize, as per the officials. Transformers and electric poles were uprooted at several places. Houses collapsed rendering several people homeless. The damage was visible in Banswada Assembly constituency. Kamareddy division received heavy rain on Tuesday. Five huts crashed at Arepalli of Bikhnoor mandal. In Anatapur district horticulture crops were hit in 10 mandals. So is the case with mango, banana and sapodilla plantations in large extents. Paddy crop worth Rs 25 lakh was submerged at Sumuladoddi and Pamurayi villages. Uprooted electric poles and trees fell on the road at several places. Electric wires snapped plunging several areas in darkness. Many dilapidated residential houses at Ramayyapet, Nallcheruvupalli, Veligonda and Uravakonda villages collapsed. In Karimnagar district, mango orchards in about 3,000 acres and standing crops (paddy, maize and other varieties) in 600 acres were damaged. Chilli farms were badly hit by the hailstorm in Eturunagaram and Tadwai and mango orchids in Vardhannapet mandal of Warangal district.