VILLUPURAM/KALLAKURICHI: Two men were drowned after being washed away by the floods at Thenpennai River in Villupuram on Monday. While a search, launched by police and fire service personnel, continued for the second day, the bodies are yet to be found.
Police said, the deceased were R Ragu (32) and R Kathavarayan (27) of Athiyur Thirukai village. The incident occurred after Ragu, Kathavarayan and their friend P Karthikeyan (35) of Melvalai village travelled to Thiruvennainallur for a housewarming ceremony. As evening set in, they began their journey back on two motorbikes. However, a causeway connecting Arulavadi and Kongarayanoor villages had been inundated by the brimming Thenpennai River.
Neglecting warnings from passersby, the three attempted to cross the causeway by wheeling the bikes. However, as the force of the river intensified, and its level spiked, the men were washed away with their bikes. Kongarayanoor residents rushed to the spot and managed to rescue Karthikeyan. Based on the information, police launched a search for the duo. Fire service personnel joined the hunt.
In a separate incident, four ryots were stranded on farmland as the water level increased in Manikutha river on Monday night. Rajamanikam (70), Magalingam (48), Veeramuthu (57), and Kolanji (51) of Kandachimangalam village near Thiyagadurugam work on farmlands near the Manikutha river bank. As the level of the river rose, and the canal from the Manimuktha dam saw flooding, they were unable to cross the water body and were marooned till Tuesday.
Rescue personnel rescued them with a rope. Seven cows were also rescued.
Sathanur almost full
Around 14 villages received a flood alert as Sathanur dam almost reached its full storage capacity of 7,321 mcft. The outflow was 6,365 cusecs