AP: Heavy Rains Pound Tirupati, Devotees Struggle as Tirumala Flooded

19 Nov, 2021 12:29 IST|Sakshi Post

TIRUPATI: Heavy rains generated by a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal pounded Tirupati on Thursday, paralysing daily life, flooding numerous low-lying districts, and disrupting transportation, including flights at Renigunta airport.

Even when the state government issued a high alert due to the low-pressure area evolving into a depression, the district administration announced a school holiday.

The rain started on Wednesday night and continued to pelt the city all day Thursday. Several areas had knee-to-waist-deep water.

At Murakambattu in the Chittoor district, locals rescued approximately 30 students whose school vehicle was stranded in floodwater.

The locals pulled the students out of the van, which was almost submerged. As a precaution, Tirumala was shut off from the rest of the world with both ghat roads and pedestrian paths closed.

Heavy rains lashed the Chittoor district for the second time in a fortnight, bringing all streams and waterfalls to life. In the whirling rainwater, a few automobiles parked on the road were washed away. According to locals, the temple city had its highest downpour in half a century on Thursday.

Thousands of pilgrims/devotees visiting Tirumala have been inconvenienced since nearly all of the city's roadways have been flooded. Several landslide occurrences on the ghat route to Tirumala disrupted traffic.

whatsapp channel
Read More:
More News