Two people were killed and five others were injured in a house collapse in the old city of Hyderabad on Sunday, police said. The incident occurred in Hussain Alam area. The dead, both women, and injured belonged to the same family.
The house was said to be a century old and its structure had weakened following heavy rains during the last few days. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire fighting personnel and police pulled out seven people from the debris and rushed them to the Osmania Hospital.
Two of them succumbed at the hospital. They were identified as Parveen Begum (42) and Anees Begum (18). Five others, including a two-year-old child and a four-month-old infant, are undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, rains continued to lash Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday asked people to be careful and alert as there is a likelihood of heavy-to-very heavy rains lashing the state in the next two days. "Heavy rainfall is reported from several places in the state on Sunday. The Meteorological Department also predicted heavy to very heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday also," said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.
Instructing Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to keep the entire official machinery on high alert, the Chief Minister asked the Collectors and District SPs and Police Commissioners to review the situation and take immediate action. He also wanted all the officials to stay put in their places, watch the situation and extend the necessary relief measures.
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning that there might be heavy to very heavy rainfall over isolated parts of the state, especially the erstwhile districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal and Khammam. Massive flooding and water-logging are likely to occur in low-lying areas. Falling of trees and electric poles can happen leading to disruption of normal activities.
Reservoirs, tanks and streams may overflow causing inundation of low-lying areas and cause low bridges and causeways to overflow, posing threat to traffic and people. The Chief Secretary requested the Collectors and SPs to put the entire district administration on alert and strictly follow the flood protocol communicated earlier. Special attention needs to be paid to low-level bridges and causeways and all traffic and pedestrian movement has to be strictly prohibited and ensure no loss of lives, he said.
