Two men part of the rescue team at Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) were washed away by flood waters in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district on Wednesday, July 13, while they were trying to rescue people from flooded areas. Sathish and Ramu were part of a six-member rescue team engaged in rescuing residents stuck in flooded low-lying areas and bringing them to safer places. The two members from the Mandamarri unit of SCCL were washed away reportedly while shifting a pregnant woman from Beebra village to a hospital through the roads inundated due to the overflowing Peddavagu stream. A search has been launched to trace the two missing men.
According to reports, some residents in low-lying areas had taken shelter at a local school, and Sirpur MLA Koneru Konappa had called in the rescue team to aid them. Kaghaznagar DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) A Karunakar told Telangana Today that an NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) team has been called in to trace the two men.
More than 10 people died in various rain-related incidents since the current spell of incessant rains began in Telangana five days ago, a senior official said on Wednesday, July 13. The rain-related incidents include walls collapsing, persons being washed away, electrocution and others. The damage due to the heavy rains is being assessed but the destruction of roads has not been major, he said.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said extremely heavy rainfall occurred at most places in Nirmal district, at a few places in Kumram Bheem and Peddapalli districts and at isolated places in Adilabad, Jagtial, Karimnagar and other districts. Very heavy rainfall occurred at most places in Adilabad, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and other districts, it said in a release. Several other places in the state received heavy rains.
Low-lying areas were inundated while rivulets and other water bodies were in spate at various places in the state following the incessant rainfall. Roads linking villages were affected in some places. In the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, the third warning (53 feet) was issued as the water level in the Godavari river water was 55.10 ft at 9 pm at the temple town of Bhadrachalam. The district officials said the flood level may rise up to 66 ft by Thursday and that people living in areas facing possible submergence have been shifted to relief centres. Those who have still not moved to the centres should do so, they said.
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With PTI and IANS inputs