The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 7 of a family, among 8, washed away

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Thursday, Jun 05, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

7 of a family, among 8, washed away

Staff Reporter

WATER FURY: Bodies of the victims who were washed away in D.Hirehal mandal in Anantapur district on Wednesday.

ANANTAPUR: Eight persons, including seven of a family, were washed away in the gushing waters of a stream due to heavy overnight rain near Hirdehal village of D. Hirehal mandal in Anantapur district in the wee hours of Wednesday. Only a 14-year-old girl survived, holding onto a thorny bush for about four hours.

According to information reaching here, Venkateswara Rao (45), along with his wife Laxmikumari (38) and daughter Reshma (14) of Anagaluru village in Krishna district, migrated to Somalapuram village in D. Hirehal mandal five years ago. The family had bought 14 acres of land in Somalapuram and was living by taking up horticulture .

Venkateswar Rao’s younger brother Madhava Rao (42), along with his wife and two sons, were in Somalapuram to spend their vacation. The family hired a Scorpio vehicle to reach Bellary to catch a train to Markapuram to visit Srisailam.

The families, along with Rao’s mother Baby Sarojini (60), left Somalapuram around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and reached a stream, Yellammavanka, mid-way near Hirdehal village, about 12 km away from Somalapuram. They stopped the vehicle after noticing the swirling waters in the stream.

However, they dared to cross the stream after watching two lorries pass without much problem.

Their vehicle entered the stream and went some distance before coming to a halt as the engine shut down when the water entered its silencer. Sensing danger, Venkateswara Rao made calls using his cellphone to his relatives, neighbours in Somalapuram and vehicle owner Murali in Bellary. But the vehicle was washed away to a distance of about 200 metres downstream. It was difficult for the rescuers to locate the vehicle in the darkness.

Venkateswara Rao first helped his daughter Reshma to catch hold of the branches of a bush and tried to help others too, but in vain. The girl was rescued around 6 am.

Bodies of Venkateswara Rao, Laxmikumari, Baby Sarojini, Madhava Rao, his wife Sathyavani (35), sons Naresh (14) and Lokesh (11) and vehicle driver Subramanyam (35) were found near the vehicle in the morning.

Reshma, the lone surviving member in the family, is studying tenth standard at Rayadurg.

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