Hyderabad: Eight women drowned and another is feared dead after a tractor-trolley fell into the Alimineti Madhav Reddy Project (AMRP) canal near Waddipatla village in Pedda Adiserlapally Mandal of Nalgonda district in Telangana early on Friday. Ten persons received minor injuries in the incident.
According to Nalgo-nda SP A.V. Ranganath, the accident occurred when about 35 persons were heading in a tractor-trolley to Pulicherla village in Pedavoora mandal. All of those who were travelling we-re residents of Padam-ati Thanda in the Pedda Adiserlapally mandal of Nalgonda.
The contractor had hired the agriculture workers and was transporting them in his tractor-trolley. The accident took place while they were negotiating the canal bund.
“The driver was talking on his mobile phone while he was steering the tractor. The bund mud had been excavated few days ago for some work and the stretch being narrow, the tractor along with the trolley fell into the canal,” said Mr. Ranganath.
He added that 10 people died due to drowning. Luckily, a few locals and some men who were travelling in the tractor managed to save about 25 people.
The agricultural wor-kers were to sow onion seeds in a farm in Pulicherla village. The locals informed that the authorities had proposed to widen the bund to allow movement of vehicles and the works were to commence later this month.
The victims were identified as Ramavath Kamsali, 50; Ramavath Sona, 70; Ramavath Jeja, 65; Jarukula Dwali, 30; Ramavath Keli, 50; Banavath Beri, 55; Ramavath Bharathi, 35; and Ramavath Sunitha, 30.
The police deployed ropes and other equipment to pull out the tractor from the canal. Efforts are underway to retrieve the body of a woman who is still missing.
