Andhra Pradesh   

Andhra Pradesh: heavy rain claims 28 lives

Special Correspondent

Hyderabad: A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal left several dead and missing, besides causing extensive devastation in several parts of Andhra Pradesh when it crossed the coast near Kakinada in the early hours of Friday.

At least 28 persons were killed and more than 40 reported missing or trapped in floodwaters as heavy rain lashed Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. More rain was forecast as the depression lay centred near Gannavaram in Krishna district.

The State Government asked the Army to stand by and instructed the district Collectors to evacuate people living in the low-lying areas abutting the Krishna and Godavari and keep vigil on irrigation tanks that breached earlier.

The rainfall was so heavy, around 20 cm in many places, that it exceeded the cumulative total for the monsoon so far. Avanigadda in Krishna district recorded 32 cm followed by 26 cm in Karlapalem of Guntur district. Paddy nurseries in coastal Andhra, where transplantations for kharif are in full swing, were badly damaged. Strong gales uprooted trees, electricity/telephone poles and snapped transmission lines disrupting power supply to many villages. Bodies of two fishermen were found washed ashore in East Godavari and Prakasam districts. Full-scale search operations were commenced by the Coast Guard as about 40 other fishermen were reported missing in the sea near the harbour town of Kakinada.

The Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was cut off as streams overflowed into the road at several places.

Running of trains was also affected in Guntur division where several passenger trains were cancelled and others diverted. The Guntur-Nandyal track was washed away.

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy cut short his visit to New Delhi and returned to supervise the relief operations and prepare the administration to meet the threat of continued downpour. Inclement weather hampered air traffic at Visakhapatnam airport leading to cancellation of some flights.

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