WARANGAL/HYDERABAD: At least six people were killed as cyclone Montha unleashed torrential rain across 12 districts of Telangana — flooding homes, toppling trees, and paralysing transport on Wednesday. Warangal and Ranga Reddy districts reported two deaths each, while Mahabubabad and Suryapet saw one fatality each. Another retired roads and buildings department employee is feared dead in Hanumakonda, where rescue teams are still searching for him.Warangal and Hanumakonda recorded more than 300mm rainfall in less than 24 hours — the season’s highest. Among the dead was Adapa Krishnamurthy, 65, of SR Nagar in Warangal, who was bedridden and drowned when floodwater surged into his home. “He was asleep when it started to rain heavily, and water entered his residence. It was only on Thursday morning that neighbours informed GWMC staff about him. When the team reached the spot, they found him dead,” said J Suresh, inspector, Enumamula. The second death from the district was reported from Shivanagar where authorities recovered the body of P Anil, , an auto-rickshaw driver. Officials said Anil was swept away while he was trying to walk back to his residence after finishing some work on Geesukonda main road.Search is on for P Srinivas, 63, a resident of TV Tower in Hanumakonda who is suspected to have been washed away while trying to save his belongings from surging water. “The DRF team along with revenue staff is looking for the retired employee,” said M Ranjith Kumar, inspector, Subedari police station.In Mahabubabad, 80-year-old Kola Ramakka was crushed when a wall collapsed on her during the downpour on Wednesday night. Local authorities said tragedy struck when Ramakka was sleeping in her house in Gajulagattu village in Mahabubabad’s Guduru mandal. “Due to the rain, the wall weakened and collapsed on her. She died on the spot,” said an official. Krishnaveni, 45, a resident of Nandanam village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, drowned in a flooded rivulet at Majidpur under Abdullapurmet PS limits after slipping while trying to retrieve her handbag on Thursday evening. She was returning home from her parents’ place in Narrepally in Ibrahimpatnam mandal riding pillion with her husband – R Prabhakar – when tragedy struck. Krishnaveni fell from the two-wheeler while they were crossing a partially submerged culvert. “She was washed away by the strong current. Despite her husband’s efforts, she couldn’t be saved,” Abdullapurmet inspector V Ashok Reddy said Thursday.Electrocution A 45-year-old employee of a private comapany in Katedan in Ranga Reddy district, Dinesh Lenka, was electrocuted while operating a water pump at Ankit Polymers on Wednesday afternoon. “He turned on the plug while standing in water and suffered a fatal shock,” police said. He was declared brought dead at a local hospital and Mylardevpally police registered a case under Section 194 of BNSS.In another incident, a 45-year-old private worker, K Lakshminarayana, from Chandupatla village in Suryapet dsitrict, died when an uprooted tree crashed on his bike near Chandupatla govt school on Wednesday afternoon – amid the heavy downpour.
