Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds wreaked havoc across parts of Sanguem and Quepem on Tuesday, causing extensive damage to houses, electricity infrastructure and trees, while disrupting power supply and traffic in several areas.
Large parts of Sanguem town and adjoining villages were left without electricity during the night after trees uprooted by strong winds fell on power lines at multiple locations, damaging electricity cables and poles.
The worst-hit area was Sanguem town, where a large tree crashed onto overhead electricity cables, damaging a couple of electricity poles. Live wires were left hanging dangerously over the road for some time, posing a serious threat to pedestrians and motorists.
Electricity Department personnel later rushed to the spot and cleared the fallen tree and damaged wires, restoring safety in the area.
At Bomod, Sanguem, a huge cashew tree fell on a residential house, causing extensive damage to the roof. Personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services promptly reached the site and removed the fallen tree.
In another incident, a tree fell across the road near the Government Farm at Kalay, disrupting vehicular traffic for some time before it was cleared by the authorities.
Meanwhile, in Assolda, Quepem, a mud house collapsed around midnight following incessant rainfall. Fortunately, the family residing in the adjoining house escaped unhurt.
Residents alleged that the collapse occurred due to water stagnation in the surrounding area. They claimed that the issue had been repeatedly brought to the notice of the village panchayat, but no timely action was taken to address the drainage problem, ultimately leading to the collapse of the structure.
