HYDERABAD: Thunderstorms swept across several districts of Telangana on Thursday, claiming five lives and causing widespread destruction to crops and livestock. Four people were killed by lightning in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, while another fatality occurred in Gajwel when a wall collapsed on an electrician during heavy rain.
The day began with typical summer heat, but weather conditions abruptly changed in the afternoon as dark clouds gathered, followed by intense downpours, thunder, lightning, and gusty winds. Hyderabad, along with Nizamabad, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Kamareddy, Sangareddy, and Mulugu districts, bore the brunt of the storm.
In Hyderabad, waterlogged roads brought traffic to a halt for over two hours.
Crops Flattened, Animals Killed
Farmers suffered heavy losses in Kamareddy district, where crops were flattened, paddy soaked, and mangoes fell prematurely. In Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, lightning strikes killed three buffaloes in Rajapet, Valigonda, and Sansthan Narayanpur mandals.
In Sadashivapet mandal’s Isritabad village, 20 sheep died in a lightning strike.
The fifth human casualty, Immat Khan (55), an electrician from Gajwel, lost his life when a wall collapsed on him while he was at work during the storm.
Rainfall was also recorded in Mancherial Corporation limits, Koutala in Kumram Bheem Asifabad, and various parts of the erstwhile Medak district.
