Five dead in rain-related incidents in Telangana

Hyderabad, Aug 28 (PTI) At least five persons have died in various rain-related incidents during the current spell of rains since August 27 in Telangana, officials said on Thursday.

As many as 1,500 people were rescued over the past two days by personnel of fire services, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other agencies, they said.

Six people went missing and operations to rescue them were underway..

Rain-related deaths were reported since Wednesday in Kamareddy and other districts. The fatalities were caused by people being swept away in floodwaters and a separate incident of a wall collapse.

Widespread damage was reported due to heavy rains in Kamareddy and Medak districts. Several low-lying areas and agricultural fields were inundated following the downpour in Kamareddy and other districts.

Rivulets and other water bodies are in spate following the downpour, leading to disruption of road links between villages.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the areas affected by heavy rains and directed officials to take up relief works, an official release said.

Reddy, who held a meeting with officials in Medak, asked Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, to prepare proposals for payment of compensation by undertaking enumeration of loss of life, crops and property.

Amid ongoing shortage of urea in the state, he told officials to spread awareness among farmers on nano urea. He said if urea is purchased now for the coming crops, it will lead to shortage of the fertilizer.

Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao directed officials to quickly submit preliminary report on the losses due to the heavy rains.

State Director General of Police (DGP) Jitender on Thursday urged citizens to 'Dial 100' for immediate police assistance in the wake of heavy rains across the state.

He said police teams are working in close coordination with SDRF and NDRF personnel to ensure public safety. A helicopter is also being deployed to evacuate stranded victims to safer locations.

The DGP said intense rainfall is affecting Kamareddy, Medak, Nirmal and other districts, and local police are on high alert, extending all help to people in distress.

He advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel in rain-affected areas and assured that additional police forces are ready to respond swiftly during emergencies.

Meanwhile, heavy rains continued to lash Kamareddy, Nizamabad and others on Thursday.

Ramareddy village in Kamareddy district received 171.3 mm of rainfall from 8.30 AM to 9 PM on Thursday, followed by 163.8 mm of rain at Kandurki in Nizamabad district, the Telangana Development Planning Society said.

Five persons, who were stranded in flood waters in Rajanna Sircilla district, were airlifted by defence choppers following the intervention of Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Two helicopters will remain stationed at Sircilla to provide immediate assistance as required, Sanjay Kumar said in a post on X.

"Gratitude to Hon’ble Union Ministers Shri @AmitShah ji, Shri rajnathsingh ji for their swift response in deploying helicopters, and to IAF Commodore, VS Saini ji & team for their efficient coordination of the operation," he said.

In a dramatic rescue operation, villagers in Jagtial district used an earthmoving machine to help a pregnant woman cross a rivulet before shifting her to a hospital for delivery.

Meanwhile, the Chief PRO of South Central Railway (SCR) said 69 trains were cancelled and 18 trains were partially cancelled since Wednesday due to water overflowing on tracks at different locations in its Hyderabad Division.

He also said 26 trains were diverted till Thursday afternoon.

A total of 15 SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams and five NDRF teams were working 24/7 in Kamareddy and other affected districts.

In addition, about 100 Army personnel from Hyderabad were engaged in rescue and relief work in Medak District, an official release said on Thursday.

The Met Centre of IMD here issued a Red alert that very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts during 1730 hours on August 28 to 0830 hours of August 29. PTI VVK SJR GDK SJR ROH