Several people were injured when a large shed at the Koheda fruit market on the outskirts of Hyderabad collapsed due to strong winds and heavy rains. Telangana Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said that 26 people were injured in the incident and were undergoing treatment.
The incident took place even as a large number of trucks were parked at the market and vendors and farmers were busy doing business. Visuals showed tin sheets on the roof of the structure flying off due to the wind, which is also reported to have partially overturned a lorry.
Niranjan Reddy said that the damage to the fruits at the market was being estimated and added that the state government would bear the medical expenses of those who were injured.
Scary video shows tin sheets flying off the roof at the Koheda fruit market in #Hyderabad due to strong winds and rain last evening pic.twitter.com/7mRFjbiHlV
— Nitin B (@NitinBGoode) May 5, 2020
The state government had set up the market at Koheda recently to deal exclusively in mangoes as the markets at Kothapet and Gaddinnaram were getting crowded with the arrival of other fruits that were in season. The state government said that it had spent around Rs 65 lakh to set up the new market, to avoid congestion and overcrowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay also visited the premises of the collapsed market and called on those who were injured in the accident.
"The accident occurred due to non-compliance with minimum quality standards in the construction of temporary sheds built for the Koheda fruit market," he alleged.
ఘటన ప్రాంతాన్ని పరిశీలించాను,ఈ సందర్భంగా అక్కడి రైతులు,కూలీలు తమ గోడును వెలిబుచ్చారు.అనంతరం హాస్పిటల్ లో ఉన్న వారిని పరామర్శించాను.
— Bandi Sanjay Kumar (@bandisanjay_bjp) May 4, 2020
కోహెడ పండ్ల మార్కెట్ కోసం నిర్మించిన తాత్కాలిక షెడ్ల నిర్మాణంలో కనీస నాణ్యత ప్రమాణాలు పాటించకపోవడం వల్లే ఈ ప్రమాదం జరిగింది.
(2/3) pic.twitter.com/HfW1RiiX1f
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a four-day warning for the state of Telangana.
"Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning are very likely to occur at isolated places over Telangana," the warning stated.
"Heat wave conditions are likely to occur at isolated pockets in the districts of Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Mancherial and Pedapalli," it added.
On Thursday and Friday, the IMD said that "Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning, hailstorm and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) were very likely to occur at isolated places over Telangana."