Heavy rains continue in AP's coastal areas

Torrential rains lashing the coastal and Telangana regions in Andhra Pradesh left a trail of destruction claiming 46 lives and rendering thousands homeless as over 50,000 people were evacuated to safer places, officials said today.

As the situation turned grim with several areas in the coastal region being marooned, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and state Congress President K Kesava Rao left for an aerial survey of the rain-ravaged areas in north coastal districts.

Reddy will tour Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts today and supervise the relief operations, officials said.

After an overnight stay at Vizianagaram, Reddy will visit the rain-affected areas in Vizianagaram and East Godavari district tomorrow before returning to the city.

"We are taking all possible measures to ensure safety of the people in low-lying areas. About 20,000 people in Khammam district are being shifted to safer places now," Reddy told reporters after reviewing the situation at a high-level meeting here.

The government has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each to the families of those killed in the rains.

As heavy rains, triggered by deep depression in Bay of Bengal, threw normal life out of gear for the third day today, the north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam bore the brunt of nature's fury with severe disruptions in power supply, road and rail traffic and communications network.

Following heavy inflows due to incessant rains in catchment areas, the two major rivers in the state - Krishna and Godavari - were in spate, prompting authorities to issue flood alerts at Rajahmundry and Bhadrachalam towns.

Deaths due to landslides, wall collapses and flash floods were reported from Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari, Warangal, Adilabad and Khammam districts.