Two persons, identified as Ravi and Venkata Subbaiah of Rajampet, were killed when the car in which they were travelling fell into the swirling river water between Gurramkonda and Chinnamandem.
In another incident, a car proceeding from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to Mantralayam in Kurnool district plunged into the Vontimitta tank abutting the Tirupati-Kadapa highway on Friday.
Policemen, led by Vontimitta Circle Inspector Hanumantha Naik, got into the tank and pulled the car ashore with great effort. The injured passengers were rushed to the local PHC for first aid.
Rescue operations
Superintendent of Police K.K.N. Anburajan monitored rescue operations in Nagarajupeta locality, as the swollen Buggavanka water spread across the low-lying areas of the city. As many as 450 persons were rescued from One Town, Two Town and Taluk police station limits and shifted to safe locations. The police arranged to shift the residents of ground and first floors in most of the buildings prone to submergence. Uprooted trees in eleven locations were removed.
Five villages were totally under water in Rajampet mandal with the sudden flow of water. Twenty-two persons, including an infant, were safely rescued from the flash floods. Mr. Anburajan later rushed to Tallapaka village in Mannur police limits to oversee an operation where 10 electrical department staff who got stranded in a marooned mango orchard while repairing a damaged electric pole were rescued.
Meanwhile, the district administration directed release of 1,200 cusecs of water from Chitravathi balancing reservoir, by retaining 10 tmcftr. In view of the damage to the culvert on Kadapa-Badvel road near Bhakarapet, traffic was diverted via Moolapalle and Machupalle.