4 Farmers Live To Tell Tale Of Escaping Godavari Waterspout
The farmers managed to save themselves by clinging to a nearby teak tree after being tossed to the ground for the third time
WARANGAL: Four farmers miraculously survived a terrifying encounter with a massive waterspout that formed over the Godavari River on Tuesday evening in the Lenkalagadda forest range of Palimela mandal, Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
The farmers, Bandari Madhusudan, Bandari Srinivas, Bandari Bhaskar, and Madupu Manthaiah of Lenkalagadda village, were working in their fields when they noticed a roaring column of water rapidly approaching, moving faster than storm winds.
Sensing imminent danger, they huddled together but were soon engulfed by the swirling vortex. The powerful waterspout lifted them 15 to 20 feet into the air several times before hurling them back to the ground.
Recounting the harrowing experience, Bandari Madhusudan said, “It suddenly went dark. The waterspout lifted us high and threw us down. We thought we would die right there in the fields. Our only hope was to stick together and try to survive.”
The farmers managed to save themselves by clinging to a nearby teak tree after being tossed to the ground for the third time. They watched in horror as the storm’s force snapped tree branches and flung them far away.
Another survivor, Bandari Srinivas, recalled seeing a cart carrying motor equipment belonging to Manthaiah being lifted into the air beside him. The waterspout, reportedly about 60 metres wide, travelled nearly 5 km through the area. The farmers battled for survival for nearly two hours, from 3.30 pm to 5.50 pm, before the storm subsided. Still in shock, they barely remembered how they made it back home.
The natural phenomenon caused significant damage to the village’s fields and the adjoining forest area. The farmers said the ox-cart carrying the motor was swept away, while water drums, pipes, and other farm implements were scattered across the fields. Remarkably, the animals pulling the cart were unharmed.
Palimela forest ranger Nagaraju confirmed that the waterspout tore through the forest along the Rallavagu stream, uprooting and destroying over 200 trees across 1 to 2 km. He said the vortex moved from the Lenkalagadda forest area toward the Mahamutharam forests, and warned that had it veered toward the village, it could have caused heavy loss of life and property.
