ROUGH DRIVE: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's convoy passing through the water-logged main roads of Machilipatnam on Monday. PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR.

HYDERABAD: Nearly 20 lives have been lost and vast areas of crops inundated as "Ogni", the cyclonic storm, crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, near Bapatla on Monday after hovering in the Bay of Bengal for two days.

Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts, which received heavy downpour are in for further battering on Tuesday. After crossing the coast, "Ogni" weakened, but still lay near Bapatla. There was a record rainfall of 35 cm, 28 cm and 27 cm respectively in Avanigadda, Repalle and Machilipatnam.

Revenue officials launched a massive operation late on Monday deploying boats and power-launches to rescue 70 persons trapped in aquaculture farms at Sopirala, near China Ganjam in Prakasam district following sudden flooding of the area. All of them managed to reach the rooftop of a structure available there, said Preeti Sudan, Commissioner, Disaster Management.

Guntur district had the highest number of seven casualties. A house-collapse killed a man and his daughter and left his wife with severe wounds at Nadendla in the same district. A security guard was drowned in a swollen drain near Ambajipet in East Godavari. An old woman succumbed to cold weather at Pallepalem in Prakasam district. Rains affected normal life at several places, especially in Ongole where the Collector has declared a holiday for schools for the day. At least 20 villages were cut off from Ongole due to flash floods in Manneru, Palair and Gundlakamma rivulets. Allur tank developed breach, threatening crops over 5,000 acres.

Vast residential areas and roads came under knee-deep waters in Ongole, Chirala, Guntur, Repalle, Tenali, Vijayawda, Visakhapatnam and Amalapuram.

YSR reviews scene

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy cut short his tour of Krishna district and reached the capital to review the situation with District Collectors. He announced ex gratia to families of those who died.

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