Heavy rains continued across Telangana, which is under a red alert, leading to deaths of three people in the last two days.
Muthyala Dhara waterfalls. (Creative Commons)
Police and rescue teams on Wednesday, July 26, reached the 42 tourists stranded at the Muthyala Dhara waterfalls in a forest near Veerabhadravaram village of Venkatapuram mandal, in Telangana’s Mulugu district due to rising water levels.
The incident occurred even though the police had earlier reportedly warned the trekkers against proceeding to the waterfall due to heavy rains.
Despite the warning, the trekkers chose to take an alternative route, parked their vehicles at Veerabhadrampuram, and walked 9 km through dense forest terrain to reach the site. They were trapped when the water level suddenly rose.
Incessant rains continued to lash Telangana, which is under red alert, leading to inundation of low-lying areas and disruption of road links at several places on Wednesday.
Mulugu Superintendent of Police, Gouse Alam took to social media and said that efforts are underway to bring back the tourists.
In a tweet, he said he had spoken to the tourists stuck at Muthyala Dhara, adding that rescue teams had been sent, including the District Disaster Relief Force and the National Disaster Relief Force teams.
He added that instructions were passed to the tourists to stay on higher ground and save their mobile batteries. Authorities also carried food items and other rescue equipment to the stranded tourists.
Earlier, the rescue teams faced challenging conditions due to the ongoing heavy rainfall and had to navigate a long stretch on foot to reach the stranded tourists.
In an effort to facilitate the rescue, the visitors were advised to conserve their mobile phone batteries to enable easy tracing.
Telangana ST, Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod also took to twitter and said that rescue teams are taking the timely action and that there was no cause for worry.
ములుగు జిల్లా వెంకటాపురం మండలం వీరభద్రవరం గ్రామ సమీపంలోని ముత్యం ధార జలపాతం వద్ద పర్యాటకుల చిక్కుకున్న ఘటనపై జిల్లా కలెక్టర్, ఎస్పీలకు ఫోన్ చేసి పరిస్థితులపై ఆరా తీసి, వరద ధాటికి అడవిలో చిక్కుకున్న పర్యటకులను గ్రామానికి చేర్చేందుకు తక్షణమే చర్యలు చేపట్టాలని అధికారులను ఆదేశించడం… pic.twitter.com/EUXQVpbD9z
— Satyavathi Rathod (@Satyavathi_BRS) July 26, 2023
There have been three deaths so far since the rain fury resumed two days back.
In a tragic incident at Sabitham Waterfall in Peddapalli district on Wednesday, 22-year-old Manupati Venkatesh from Kisan Nagar in Karimnagar district died after falling in the water.
The police and rescue teams recovered the victim’s body and sent it to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination.
A day earlier, two girls were washed away in an overflowing stream in Mahabubnagar district in Telangana
The two teenaged girls were crossing the stream and did not realise the strength of the current, the police said. Their bodies were found by local people later.
Authorities have issued a stern warning to the public, urging them to refrain from visiting waterfalls during periods of heavy water flow and incessant rainfall, as they pose a significant risk of flooding and other hazards.
