Three dead as cloud burst drowns Hyderabad, all schools and colleges to remain shut

Gandhi Jayanti turned into a day of horror for Hyderabad residents. Heavy rains battered the city on Monday evening, October 2, which led to water-logging and massive traffic jams. A four-month-old boy and his 28-year-old father were buried alive in Naidu Nagar after a wall collapsed on them.

A total of three people were reportedly killed. In the suburbs, at least four were killed in lightning strike at Narayankhed.

Weather officials termed it a cloudburst since certain parts of the city recorded as high as 7-12 cms of rainfall in a span of only two hours.

 

#WATCH: Car stuck due to massive flooding following incessant rainfall in Hyderabad; schools & colleges ordered to remain shut today. pic.twitter.com/MLZw2OqHc5

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2017

Several cars were damaged as walls caved in and vehicles washed away with gushing water. At least 50% of city was blacked out after the rains.

In another incident, a 35-year-old man who had gone to have tea at a hotel in Hussainialam area, while it was raining heavily, got electrocuted after touching a road-side parked van which came in contact with an electric pole, police said.

"There was a short circuit and the van was parked near the pole. One man who was walking in the rains touched the vehicle apparently fearing that there might be open man holes on the road and got electrocuted," the police official said.

According to a Met official, 67.6 mm of rainfall was recorded in the city from around 4.30 PM to 8.30 PM.

The downpour led to inundation of several low-lying areas and traffic moved at a snail's pace due to water-logging at different places in the city.

CM K Chandrashekar Rao has called it as an emergency situation and appealed to the citizens not to step out.

A similar appeal was made by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy.

This is Punjagutta flyover. Take care. #HyderabadRains pic.twitter.com/iGxaF8tFVZ

— Bhavani Sankar M S ® (@Bhavanisms) October 3, 2017

Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy said the police force has been asked to remain alert following the heavy rains.

"In view of heavy rains, the entire force of the Hyderabad City Police including force from law and order police stations, traffic police stations, Task Force, Armed Reserve, Home Guards, Special Branch and other wings have been alerted to be in readiness," a release from the CP office said.

Drains Overflowing #HyderabadRains pic.twitter.com/UQNeSnWixa

— Abdul Hamed (@abdulhamed_mba) October 2, 2017

Close to 60 trees were uprooted in the rains, claim GHMC officials. They have cleared 40 of them.

Although there have been no rains on Tuesday morning, the MET department has said that there will be more. All schools and colleges will remain shut on Tuesday in anticipation of more rains.