Three killed in lightning strikes in Telangana

Hyderabad, Sep 27

Three people died after being struck by lightning in different parts of Telangana as heavy rain lashed parts of the state, including capital Hyderabad, throwing the normal life out of gear.

Deaths due to lightning were reported from Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam and Hanamkonda districts late Monday.

A farmer, L. Sreenu, who was returning home from his fields, died when lightning struck him in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

Sheikh Jaan Bi, a housewife sitting in the courtyard of her house died due to lightning in Khammam district. In the third incident, a man standing under a tree died of thunderbolt in Hanamkonda district.

Heavy rain lashed parts of the state, including state capital Hyderabad on Monday evening. Massive downpour in Hyderabad inundated roads and low-lying areas, bringing the normal life to a crippling halt for a few hours.

Some parts of Hyderabad recorded 9.1 to 12.7 cm rainfall in just three hours. This is the highest rainfall in over a decade during the month of September in Hyderabad. The Mehdipatnam area in the city recorded 11.25 cm rainfall till midnight. The earlier highest rainfall of 9 cm in 24 hours was recorded on September 6, 2017.

Drains were overflowing in several parts of the city, inundating roads. The main roads saw long traffic snarls. People, who were returning home from offices and working places, were stranded due to gridlock at almost all major traffic junctions.

Motorists were caught in traffic jams for several hours. Many residents reached home past midnight. Electricity supply was also disrupted in some areas.

Rain water also entered the houses in some colonies due to overflowing lakes and tanks. Areas like Asif Nagar, Gudimalkapur, Malaket and Musheerabad witnessed huge inundation.

Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were pressed into service to clear waterlogging.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Meteorological Centre has forecast rain in the state over next four days. Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning are very likely to occur at isolated places over Telangana, it said.