Heavy rain accompanied by gale at Mettilpatti, Chennamareddypatti, Perumalkovilpatti and its surroundings in Vilathikulam taluk on Thursday claimed the life of an elderly man and left five others injured, sources said.
It started raining heavily around 3 p.m. The rain was coupled with strong winds. P. Muniyasamy (76) of Mettilpatti moved to take shelter from rain in a saloon.
Unfortunately, a tamarind tree nearby the saloon was uprooted in the gale and fell on him leaving him dead. The injured victims were rushed to Aruppukottai GH. While nine tiled-roof houses were completely damaged, 29 others were partially affected in these villages. Among the victims, Lakshmiammal and Nathiya suffered head injuries, sources said.
Electricity lines were severed after the poles got disturbed in the winds. Trees were uprooted at several locations. Revenue officials inspected the affected villages and took stock of the situation. Efforts were on to restore normalcy and extend relief to the families of victims, sources said.
