Heavy rains in the hilly terrains of Erode district overnight claimed two lives near Thalavadi and blocked traffic till Saturday afternoon.
Two persons riding on a moped were washed away as they crossed a bridge across a wild stream near Thalavadi on the Sathyamangalam hills. The body of Balraj, 45, was recovered on Saturday. A search was on for Chandrasekar, 46.
The heavy rains triggered a landslip near Thamaraipallam. At nearby Neikkarai, a tree fell across the road, and it took several hours for the Highways Department to remove it. Heavy vehicles were stranded on the narrow road. Vehicles bound for Bargur and surrounding places in Tamil Nadu, and Kollegal and other areas in Karnataka were stopped at a checkpoint along the Anthiyur-Bargur Road.
However, the rains cheered up Bargur residents. “The rain will end the water scarcity and revive agriculture on the hills,” said Meenakshi, a farm worker.
The Bhavani Sagar dam area received the highest rainfall of 87.2 mm in the last 24 hours ended 8.30 a.m. on Saturday, followed by Elanthaikuttaimedu-72, Gobichettipalayam-69, Sathyamangalam-53.4, Kavindapadi-51.2, the Kodiveri Dam-47, Chennimalai-41, the Orathupalayam Anicut-11, Bhavani-12.4 and Arachalur-4.
