Have never seen such a disaster before, everything is wrecked: Resident of flood-hit village

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 19 (PTI) For residents of flood-hit Hasnal village in Nanded district of Maharashtra, it as a calamity they had never seen before as they ran out of their homes, leaving behind their belongings to save themselves from rising water level.

"I stayed here for 30 long years, but never saw such a calamity. Everything was destroyed just in a few minutes," Ashabai Ingole, a resident of Hasnal, told reporters on Tuesday.

Hasnal under Mukhed taluka in central Maharashtra faced flooding due to excessive rain in the area on Sunday and Monday. An Army unit was deployed in the village for a rescue operation on Monday.

A visibly shaken Ingole explained what happened on Sunday night when the village got suddenly flooded.

"We went to sleep at around 11 pm after having dinner on Sunday. Later, a few people came out with torches in their hands as there was no electricity supply. They said water has entered the village. In a short span of time, the entire village was full of water," she said.

Ingole and her family members ran out of their home, leaving behind their precious belongings, important document and cattle.

"We were scared and ran out of our house at around 3 am (on Monday) leaving our papers, money and cattle behind. I have lost five buffaloes. We ran to save ourselves but everything is wrecked here," the villager stated.

"We have a big family. I stayed with my in-laws, daughter, son, granddaughter along with brother-in-laws. We all escaped making a human chain via a small path. My family members stayed in different houses," she said.

Ingole rued there was no immediate help from the local administration.

"No one came to see us the next morning. People helped themselves but the government didn't help us. I spent my entire life here but never saw such a calamity. Everything ended in just five minutes. There are around 300 houses in Hasnal, but everywhere there was just water," she said.

Meanwhile, out of the five persons earlier reported missing in Hasnal village, the bodies of four have been recovered so far, while one individual is yet to be traced, a defence release said on Tuesday evening.

As per the latest update, nearly 80 per cent of Hasnal continues to remain inundated.

As per the data shared by the administration, Barhali and Mukramabad revenue circles in the district recorded 354.8 mm and 206.8 mm of rainfall, respectively, on Monday alone.

The rainfall in these two revenue circles led to the rise in the level of the Lendi River, which flooded a few surrounding villages. But the situation is currently under control, an official said.

At least 225 people were evacuated from Ravangaon, 40 from Bhingoli, 10 from Baswadi and eight from Hasnal, he said. PTI AW SPK NP RSY