Heavy rain continued to wreak havoc across Andhra Pradesh for the third consecutive day on Thursday as the death toll in various rain related mishap went up to 10 as three persons died in a house collapse in Hyderabad.
With depression over Bay of Bengal persisting and northeast monsoon continuing to be vigorous, the Met Department has warned heavy rain for another 48 hours adding to the concerns of the authorities. Presently the system lay centered over Ongole in Prakasham district, the Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatanam said.
Kalingapatanam in Srikakulam recorded the highest rainfall of 32 cms during the last 24 hours. Ongole recorded 31 cms followed by 20 cms at Kakinada, 12 cms at Bapatla and 10 cms at Visakhapatanam. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the rains and flood situation with senior officials and directed the District Collectors to remain alert for another two days.
State Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy told the reporters in Hyderabad that rains and floods have claimed 10 lives so far. Four people were washed away in Prakasham and three died in a house collapse in Hyderabad. Other three people died at different places. Passengers of two RTC buses had a narrow escape as the buses were caught in the swirling flood waters at two different places in Prakasham and Guntur district. Nine passengers of Hyderabad-Ongole bus saved themselves by sitting on the roof top of a bus which was completely drowned in the waters of a flooded rivulet.
In Guntur district Kurnool-Narsaraope bus was also caught in the flood waters near Narsaraopet and the lives of 40 passengers was saved by the local people and officials. As the rain pounded almost all the districts of Seemandhra and parts of Telangana, farmers were the hardest hit as standing crops as well as the harvested crops were badly damaged.
“Crops of paddy, maize and tobacco were damaged on an area of 250,000 acres,” Revenue Minister said. As water entered low lying areas in many places, 6,500 people were shifted to 19 relief camps in the State. ‘We appeal to the people to move out from the vulnerable and dilapidated buildings and go to the relief camps,” the Chief Minister said.
While Andhra Pradesh had largely escaped the fury of cyclonic storm Phailin earlier this month, subsequent depression and North East monsoon have caused large scale losses. Raghuveera Reddy said that 300 houses were fully damaged in the rains.