Heavy rains claim 7 lives in State

One killed in Hyd house collapse Hyderabad: Seven persons, one in Hyderabad, two in Karimnagar and one each in Adilabad, Kakinada (East Godavari) Nalgonda and Srikakulam districts were killed in the last 24 hours in rain-related accidents, as showers continued to lash the State for the second day on Friday. A low pressure area in the Bay brought heavy rain flooding streams, inundating roads and damaging dilapidated dwellings in the districts. In the city a woman was killed and four were injured when a house collapsed in Mangalhat area. The Met department forecast more rains under the impact of low pressure area in the next two days. The State government has alerted district authorities. In Hyderabad the Hussain Sagar reached full reservoir level and the low lying areas there have been put on alert. Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy told reporters that the government identified 110 low lying areas in Hyderabad and GHMC officials were asked to shift the people there if rain water flooded the areas. He said that the government decided to give Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the family of a victim who died in the roof collapse incident. He said that the rains were useful for kharif and farming community can start agriculture operations. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation from New Delhi. Officials said 9 to 11 cm rainfall was recorded in Telangana districts of Medak, Nalgonda, Warangal, Khammam and Hyderabad. In Adilabad district, 25 villages were cut off due to overflowing of Gorrapalli stream in Vemanapalli 'mandal'. Some villages in Khammam district were also marooned. With the heavy inflows, the level of Godavari River at Bhadrachalam in Khammam district rose to 24.4 feet. Heavy rains affected coal production in some mines of the state-owned Singareni Collieries in Karimnagar and Khammam districts. Production of 100,000 tonnes of coal was hit in Godavarikhani in Karimnagar district.