Heavy rains in Hyderabad claim six lives, including four-year-old boy

HYDERABAD:  Heavy rains that lashed Hyderabad and parts of the State on Tuesday resulted in the loss of six lives, including that of four-year-old Mithun who fell in an open nala in Pragathinagar around 11.30 AM and was washed away. 

Pragathinagar falls under Nizampet Corporation and the State government undertook Strategic Nala Development Programme works. Despite this, the open nalas and manholes are posing a grave threat to the people, alleged residents. 

Though a local noticed the boy being washed away, he was not able to grab him as the water flow was too heavy in the open drain. The boy was seen again after two hours, but the heavy flow of water washed him away again. Later, the State disaster response force teams were pressed into service and retrieved the body from Turaka Cheruvu, a local tank, after a four-hour search. 

A pall of gloom descended over NRI Colony, Pragathinagar, following the death of the boy. The grief-stricken parents were even unable to speak. Relatives and neighbours were seen weeping inconsolably. This was the second such incident in the city this monsoon. Nine-year-old Mounika fell in an open manhole in Kalasiguda in Secunderabad in April and was washed away. 

The fate of 55-year-old Lakshmi, who is feared to have been washed away in a nala in Gandhinagar, remains unclear even after two days. Around 100 personnel tried to trace her on Monday, to no avail. Meanwhile, a woman died of an electric shock in Balanagar on Tuesday evening. 

Several students stranded in rainwater in Maisammaguda in Medchal were shifted to safer places in tractors. 

Three persons, including a farmer and two agriculture labourers, were killed and four others sustained injuries when lightning struck them in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district. The deceased were identified as G Rajeshwar Rao (45), Ch Saritha (30) and N Sumatha (32).

Rainwater flowed over the national highway in Manoharabad mandal in Medak district. All the minor irrigation tanks in the Medak district are overflowing. An unidentified man was washed away in Manjapur of Gummadidala mandal in Sangareddy. He remained untraced till late.  

Rain fury claims six victims

• 6 people die in rain-related incidents across Telangana
• 3 of the 6 victims died in a lightning strike in Bhupalpally
•  IMD issued a red alert for Hyderabad for three hours between 7 AM - 10 AM. This was the first red alert for Hyderabad this monsoon. 
• Areas like Kukatpally and Serilingampally recorded over 5 cm of rainfall in a span of 90 minutes on Tuesday morning.
•  Miyapur recorded 14.7 cm, Hydernagar 14.3 cm and Shivarampally 13 cm. 
•  Officials lifted six crest gates each of the Himayatsagar and Osmansagar

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