Over one lakh trees were uprooted across vast stretches of the Medaram forests in Mulugu district, causing extensive damage in around 500 acres.
This is the first time that such a large-scale destruction of trees, resembling a tornado's wrath, has been witnessed in the area.
The incident is now under investigation by the forest department.
Officials were left astounded as they surveyed the damage. Trees had been toppled over an area spanning approximately 5 km, with the extent of the damage so severe that drones are being deployed to assess the full impact. Forest authorities have said that they had never encountered such a catastrophic event earlier.
Just two days back, Minister Seethakka had personally visited the affected area and expressed her astonishment at the scale of the destruction. During her visit, Seethakka commented on the rare and devastating storm that swept through the forests.
She had ordered a thorough investigation into the incident, and instructed officials to use drone cameras to estimate the losses accurately. The minister also noted that fortunately there were no casualties as the storm was confined to the forest. She said that if the storm had struck the nearby villages, the devastation could have been far worse.
Seethakka attributed the escape of the villages to the blessings of Samakka and Saralamma, the revered deities of the region.
She also urged union ministers Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay to take special measures in response to the incident, and called for an investigation by central authorities to identify the cause of the disaster. She also requested the union government to provide financial assistance to support the reforestation of the affected area.