Two die as heavy rain lashes Kadiri, Talupula mandals; Car gets washed away at a causeway

Heavy rain lashed the South-Eastern parts of Anantapur district overnight leading to the death of two persons as the car in which they were travelling got washed away at a causeway at Gollapalli Thanda in the early hours of Friday. Due to a breach in the Yerragunta tank and heavy rain, water suddenly gushed in at the causeway 3km from the Anantapur-Kadapa border at Gollapalli Thanda near Odulapalli at 3 a.m. on Friday, leading to the mishap, the police said.

According to Kadiri Circle Inspector Niranjan Reddy a Kadiri resident and former TDP councillor Hussain Basha along with his son Babjan, 19, was travelling to Vijayawada in a car being driven by Rafiq, 30. Hussain managed to jump out of the car before the water swept away the car. The bodies of both the victims have been retrieved. They all are residents of Moorthypalli in Kadiri.

The car that got washed away killing two passengers on Kadiri-Pulivendula Road, following the heavy rain overnight in Talupula Mandal of Anantapur district.
 
| Photo Credit: R. V. S. Prasad

The heavy rain resulted in Kadiri-Pulivendula Highway getting washed away at four places and the communication is totally cut. Talupula Mandal in Anantapur district recorded 142mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. on Friday while Kadiri Mandal recorded 83mm. This is the second time this monsoon Kadiri has received such heavy rain. On the earlier occasion, Kadiri had received 21cm of rainfall in 12 hours on July 18.

In another incident at Gajulollapalli in Gandlapenta Mandal, a motorcyclist too slipped into the stream, but alert people around saved him. Meanwhile, the road got damaged at several places and traffic cannot be restored immediately. Several acres of standing paddy and other groundnut crops got inundated in Talupula, Kadiri and Gandlapenta Mandals in the district.