Two people died after being struck by lightning in different parts of Telangana as heavy rain lashed parts of the state, including the capital city of Hyderabad, throwing normal life out of gear. Deaths due to lightning were reported from Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam districts late Monday, September 26. L Sreenu, a farmer who was returning home from his fields, died when lightning struck him near Mamidigundala village in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. His wife Shobha reportedly suffered minor injuries. In another unrelated incident, a 66-year-old woman named Sheikh Jaan Bi died due to lightning while sitting in the courtyard of her house in Banigandlapadu village of Yerrupalem mandal in Khammam district.
Massive downpour in Hyderabad inundated roads and low-lying areas, disrupting normal life for a few hours on Monday night. 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 the gridlock at almost all major traffic junctions. Motorists were caught in traffic jams for several hours. Electricity supply was also disrupted in some areas.
Rainwater also entered the houses in some colonies due to overflowing lakes and tanks. Areas like Asif Nagar, Gudimalkapur, Malaket and Musheerabad witnessed huge inundation. Uparpally, Rajendranagar, Mallepally, Toli Chowki, Uppaln and other areas too witnessed waterlogging. Kukatpally, Quthbullapur, Alwal, Madhapur and other areas too received heavy rains. Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were pressed into service to clear waterlogging.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast moderate to heavy rain in Hyderabad on Wednesday, September 28. A yellow warning has been issued for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when light to moderate rain is expected across the city, including Charminar, Khairatabad, Kukatpally, LB Nagar, Secunderabad and Serilingampally zones.
With IANS inputs