Hyderabad: Eleven people were killed as heavy rains triggered by cyclonic conditions wreaked havoc in several parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. Most deaths were caused by lightning and electrocution, officials said. While three people died in wall collapse, a farmer, who lost his crop in heavy rains in Adilabad district, committed suicide by drinking pesticide.
A couple was electrocuted after an overhead electric wire fell on their house in Warangal city. Two people died in wall collapse in Anantapur, while a woman succumbed after the roof of her house in Nizamabad caved in. A B-tech student was electrocuted in Kadapa, while another man was electrocuted in Karimnagar. Two others died in Kurnool as lightning struck them.
Overall, six people died in Telangana, while five deaths were reported from Andhra Pradesh, authorities said. Power supply was affected in many places in both states as heavy gales uprooted electric poles and snapped overhead power supply lines. Many places in Telangana recorded seven cm rainfall.
The three-day spell of rains threw normal life out of gear in Hyderabad and caused extensive damage to some roads. Many low-lying areas were inundated and stagnant rain water choked drains and disrupted traffic in the city. Heavy rains also destroyed large swathes of maize, mango, paddy and cotton crops and fruit orchards across Telangana. Crop damage reports poured in from Adilabad, Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Medak, Nalgonda and Khammam districts in Telangana, and Kurnool and Anantapur districts in AP. The quantum of loss is yet to be assessed. However, unofficial estimates put them at Rs 10 billion in both states.
