Hyderabad:
Thirty people have died after heavy rains ravaged Telangana today – leaving roads resembling rivers, cars completely submerged and washed away by powerful currents, and buildings almost completely inundated.
As many as 15 deaths have been reported in Hyderabad alone – among those of a two-month-old baby – with water logging in low-lying areas of the city. Nine others died after a compound wall collapsed and fell on 10 houses during heavy rains overnight.
In gruesome footage from the Barkas neighborhood in the capital, a man was seen swept away by the floods. Two people, who managed to find shelter on a nearby raised path, could be seen watching helplessly as the man was swept away by the current.
According to the PTI news agency, the man was then rescued to safety with the help of the police and residents.
In the Banjara Hills area of Hyderabad, a 49-year-old man who ran a naturopathic clinic was electrocuted while trying to remove water from the basement of his flooded home.
Also according to PTI, a 40-year-old woman and her daughter died in the Ibrahimpatnam area after the roof of their house fell to them on Tuesday evening.
At least five people have been reported missing and the police are looking for them.
Power outages were also reported across the state, as rain uprooted utility poles. The power supply has been suspended in other parts as a precaution.
Telangana’s Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao held a meeting with the Southern Telangana State Electricity Distribution Company (TSSPDCL) and called for the restoration of power supply as soon as possible.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the military have both been called in to help with relief and rescue efforts. The army has deployed relief and rescue columns in the Bandlaguda area to provide first aid and medical aid, according to a statement.
Meanwhile, the NDRF said it had evacuated more than 1,000 people from the flooded areas of Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts.
The Telangana government declared a public holiday for all government offices and private institutions on Wednesday and Thursday, and urged people to stay indoors unless there is an emergency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Jaganmohan Reddy, whose state was also affected yesterday, the ensuring all possible support from central government.
