Eight persons were killed and 50 others are reported missing after they were washed away in gushing waters after the Annamayya project breached near Rajampeta on Friday. Most of the victims were passengers of two RTC buses caught in the floodwaters on the road down the reservoir zone.
According to information, the Annamayya project, constructed in 1978, was getting heavy inflows from the Bahuda river, after the Pincha project suffered damage near Rayachoti in the district. The project received an inflow of 3.25 lakh cusecs of floodwater, as against its capacity of 1.40 lakh cusecs.
The impact was such that a concrete bund to a length of 336 metres was washed away in the morning. The railway track on the Chennai-Mumbai section was washed away for several metres before the gushing waters through the Cheyyeru river entered the road point nearby. Several trains were diverted through Gudur. Three buses were immediately surrounded by the floodwaters.
By the time the rescue teams from Rajampeta and Kadapa divisions arrived at the spot, the buses were completely marooned. It is believed that about 30 passengers had gone missing. After five-hour-long rescue operation, about 20 passengers were rescued by evening. The rescue teams found eight dead bodies, four each at Ramapuram and Mandapally villages. Unconfirmed reports said that another four bodies were found.
A revenue official said that rescue operation, which was continuing, was hampered due to 360-degree flooding and thick growth of thorns, coupled with engulfing darkness and an uncontrollable flow of water. A helicopter was deployed as part of the mission in the evening.
The heavy damage to electric poles led to power interruptions in more than a 100 villages, which impacted the mobile phone towers. This gave a tough time to the officials on duty with poor or no signals. It is reported that The flooding of the Cheyyeru river due to a breach of the Annamayya project had cut off links to a dozen villages. The damage of the Tirupati-Kadapa national highway further adversely impacted the rescue operations. The identification of the deceased had also turned a big task.
Rajampeta MLA Meda Mallikarjun Reddy told the media that about 30 people were feared washed away in the Cheyyeru flood fury. He said that apart from NDRF and SDRF teams, the entire police and revenue machinery was monitoring the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Amzad Basha and Kadapa Mayor Suresh inspected various low-lying areas in Kadapa and initiated the evacuation of the people to rehabilitation centers. Mr. Basha visited Taraka Rama Nagar, Prakash Nagar, Niranjan Nagar, Sivananda Puram, Estate, Om Shanti Nagar, Housing Board Colony, Pakir Palle, and NGO Colony.
District Collector Vijayarama Raju appealed to the public to stay safe at the relief centres and leave the low-lying areas immediately. He cautioned the people not to attempt crossing the overflowing causeways. Special teams were formed to identify the old houses and shift the families to safer shelters.
Meanwhile, the Kadapa district received a cumulative rainfall of 5458.7 mm during the last 24 hours ending Friday morning.
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