7 die in hailstorms, more rains likely

Hyderabad: Hailstorms and intense gale-force winds across  the state claimed seven lives. Three people in Prakasam, two in Warangal and one each in Tirupati and Ongole died after being struck by thunderbolts on Tuesday. Eleven people were injured after the driver of a bus lost balance on being hit by a thunderbolt. The bus fell into a canal at Phirangipuram in Vemuluripadu. In Tirupati, a minaret of a mosque came crashing down on the adjacent shops resulting in the death of a 82-year-old retired RTC driver A. Krishnamurthy. He was crushed under the debris.

In Ongole, Sk Naib Rasool, 24, a farmer, was returning home on a moped. He had taken shelter from the rains under a tree. However, the tree uprooted, trapping him  under it. Local villagers extracted Rasool and shifted him to Kurnool, but he died on the way. Meanwhile, Met officials predicted more rains and thundershowers. Light to moderate rains or thundershowers are expected at a few places in Coastal AP and at isolated places in Telangana and Rayalaseema in the next couple of days. On Tuesday, rain occurred at isolated places in Coastal AP, while Telangana remained dry.