Five die in landslide at Araku
Their house got caught in a mudslide
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-15 03:02 GMT
Visakhapatnam: Five members of a family were buried alive at a village near Araku, of Visakhapatnam rural district, as their house got caught in a mudslide due to Cyclone Hudhud.
Though the incident took place on the evening of October 12, officials came to know about it on the night of October 13. Huge boulders and mud buried the house.
With this incident at Medrasula village of Madula panchayat of Araku mandal, the death toll in the state has touched 30.
Araku police SI G. Narayana Rao said, “The village has only five tribal families who live at the foot of the hill. The mudslide caused by the rain engulfed one of the houses. Barring two people who managed to escape, the others were buried alive.
“A woman, Gamili Bon-du, saved her husband. They tried to remove the debris but couldn’t. The roads were blocked and there was no communication. The message reached the local tahsildar only the day after,” SI Narayana Rao said.
The deceased were identified as Gamili Pottu, Gamili Subba Rao, G. Sundo, G. Ashok, and G. Shobamma.
Police also said that trees were uprooted along large tracts in the Araku area. “A tree even fell on our police station. There is no power supply and no mobile connectivity. The landline was restored after repeated requests on Tuesday evening,” said an Araku police official.