HYDERABAD: A father-daughter duo, a mother-daughter duo, and a couple among nine people died in rain-related accidents over a 24-hour period until Sunday in Telangana battered by torrential downpours.
Andhra Pradesh capital region, meanwhile, has been transformed into a virtual lake following an unprecedented 37 cm rainfall in a single day. Vijayawada remained cut off from Hyderabad by rail and road and rail links with Visakhapatnam and Chennai were snapped.Places like Amaravati and Guntur were also cut off from Hyderabad. The sudden overflow of the Budameru river in Vijayawada caused severe flooding, submerging 40% of the area in the city.
The toll in the torrential rain has increased to 15 with one person drowning in the flood water in the city on Sunday. In Telangana, Scientist Ashwini Nunavut, 27, and her 50-year-old father, Motilal Nunavut, were swept away by the overflowing Akeru vagu stream while crossing a bridge in Mahabubabad district’s Maripeda mandal.
The two were on their way to the airport. “In their last communication with family members, they reported that the water level was rising quickly and had reached almost up to their necks. Shortly after, their phones went silent,” said police.
Rescue teams recovered Ashwini’s body, which was stuck in a tree, but Motilal’s body has not been found. Earlier this year, Ashwini received the Young Scientist Award from ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management in Raipur.
In another accident, a mother-daughter duo died in their sleep when their house collapsed in Ekkamedu village of Narayanpet district’s Kothapalli mandal. “Harijana Hanumama, 65, and Anjulamma, 42, were farm laborers,” police said.
In another accident, two members of a family were washed away in Palair assembly constituency on Saturday. Recalling the tragedy, Telangana revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy became emotional on Sunday. “We tried our best to save the family. Helicopters could not take off immediately. The parents could not be saved, but their son was rescued,” he said.
(With inputs from Roushan Ali)