Telangana flood toll reaches 8; IAF rescues 24 labourers

Sangareddy (Telangana), September 25

The death toll in rain-related incidents has gone up to eight in Telangana’s Medak district with a factory worker allegedly getting drowned in flood water following heavy showers.

Three deaths were yesterday reported from Medak, even as the Army was deployed in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts for rescue operations.

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Besides, four persons were killed and six others injured in separate rain-related mishaps in Medak on Friday.

Anjanayelu (30), a native of Jakkapally village in Narsapur mandal of Medak, was last night going on his bike to his workplace.

However, while trying to cross a low-level causeway, near Reddy Khanapur village under Hathnoora police station limits, which was overflowing due to heavy inflow of water in Paspaleru lake, he got swept away along with his bike, the police said.

Hathnoora Police Sub-Inspector Balreddy said a search operation was initiated soon after getting information but the body was yet to be retrieved.

Yesterday, a 14-year-old boy had fallen inside a swelled water tank in Aroor village under Sadasivpet police station limits after he lost balance while taking stock of the water level of the tank.

In Narayankhed, a 30-year-old man was washed away in heavy flow while he was trying to cross a stream by walk.

Besides, a 28-year-old man was killed after he lost balance of his two-wheeler and was washed away while traversing through a water body near a village in Medak.

With heavy rains throwing normal life out of gear in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had earlier ordered officials to set up control rooms in all the districts to reach out to the marooned people with necessary relief.

Following instructions from the CM, a National Response Force (NDRF) team has been kept on standby in Hyderabad to participate in rescue operations, if necessary.

Besides, four columns of Army had been earlier deployed in rain-affected areas of Hyderabad and neighbouring Ranga Reddy district.

IAF rescues 24 labourers

The Indian Air Force (IAF) today rescued 24 labourers who were caught in floods in Medak district since Saturday.

The rescue operation, which was aborted Saturday evening due to heavy rain, resumed on Sunday morning.

Two Chetak helicopters pressed into service airlifted the labourers stranded in Manjeera river at Yedupayala, officials said.

The migrant labourers from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha were engaged in construction of three bridges in the area.

Telangana assembly’s Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy and Medak District Collector D. Ronald Ross had sought help from the IAF after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team informed them that it cannot undertake rescue operation with boat due to boulders in the river bed. — Agencies