VIRUDHUNAGAR: Amid heavy rain battering Virudhunagar since Sunday, 120 devotees were rescued from Sathuragiri hills on Monday, a day after they were stranded at the Sundaramahalingam temple there. A joint operation executed by the fire and rescue services and forest department relocated the devotees to the foothills of Thaniparai.
While 16 devotees, who got stranded after their failed attempt to descend from the hill, were rescued earlier on Monday, over 100 devotees, who stayed in the temple premises, were rescued later in the day. Those from unaffected areas were sent back home. The devotees are among the hundreds who were left stranded after the district witnessed heavy downpour from Sunday afternoon. Things took a turn for the worse after Monday recorded an average rainfall of 148.28 mm in the morning, and a total of 164.4 mm till evening.
Meanwhile, water levels in Irukkangudi and Vembakottai dams reached their capacities, as a result of which surplus water had to be released. Those residing in the nearby areas were instructed to stay away from the waterbodies. Several lakes and streams in the district also overflowed. As many as 633 people, including 155 children, from across the district were accommodated at 14 shelter camps set up by the district administration.
According to sources, a stream in O Muthulapuram village, under the Virudhunagar Panchayat Union, overflowed due to the increased water inflow and entered the houses in the area. Over 20 residents were stranded and were later rescued. In another incident, two elderly women from Avarampatti village near Rajapalayam were also rescued by the fire and rescue service personnel.
"A 29-year-old resident from Guhanparai, who was travelling with his three-year-old child in a four-wheeler, was left stranded in the floods. With the help of residents and police, they were rescued," official sources said. Moreover, three families comprising 21 people were stuck after flood water entered their houses and surrounding areas in Kalkurichi. They were later rescued by the police. In another incident near a submerged Sattur, a 20-year-old pregnant woman, who was experiencing pains, was carried by the locals and admitted to the Government Hospital in Kovilpatti with the help of an ambulance.