Owing to heavy rain on Sunday night, there was heavy flow in a drain carrying water from a lake near Narayana Nagar. The victim, identified as Muhammed Azad, a Class 10 student residing in the TNHB quarters in Narayana Nagar, was heading home with three of his friends after watching a movie when the incident occurred around 11 pm. 

The boy had accidentally fallen into the drain and was swept away in the strong current of the water flowing from the Kumaragiri lake. On information, Kitchipalayam police, fire and rescue personnel along with relatives of the boy began search operations. However, the boy couldn’t be found anywhere.

A team of around 60 fire fighters, roped in from various stations across the district, continued the search till Monday morning in the flooded Thirumanimutharu. Meanwhile, Salem Collector Rohini R Bhajibhakare inspected the rescue operations. Later, she visited the house of the boy and consoled his parents.

The Collector said that Salem received a record 133.8 mm of rain in a few hours which led to heavy flooding in many parts. “Search operations for the boy are under way and a solatium of Rs 4 lakh will be given to his parents,” she said.

Tension prevailed as a group of villagers gheraoed the car of the Collector and blamed official apathy for failing to desilt the Raja Vaical, which they alleged as the main reason for the flooding in the town. They urged the Collector to remove encroachments of water bodies to ensure free flow during rainy days.

Similar protests broke out on Kalarampatty, Narayana Nagar and Ammapettai Main Road resulting in traffic congestion. Water logging was reported in many low-lying areas such as Ammapet, Kitchipalayam, Narayana Nagar, Peramanur, Pachapatty, Kalarampatty, Karungalpatty, Pulikuthi Theru, Asthampatty, Kannakurichi and Suramangalam. Fire fighters came to the rescue of residents trapped in heavily inundated areas of Seelanaickenpatty and Peramanur localities.

Rainwater entered into over 1,500 houses forcing people to spend a sleepless night. Also, most of the city areas witnessed power outages.

In another rain-related incident, the fire and rescue services personnel retrieved the body of a woman identified as Pushpa (55) from Erumapalayam lake. Police suspect the woman to have accidentally fallen into the lake and drowned.

The 133.8 mm on Sunday night was a record rainfall in the district as the previous highest was 125.5 mm in July 1962.