Heavy rains leave trail of destruction in Andhra

As many as 27 people were killed, 600 villages flooded, several irrigation tanks breached and thousands rendered homeless as torrential rains, triggered by deep depression in Bay of Bengal, threw normal life out of gear in Andhra Pradesh for the second day on Friday.

While heavy rains lashed several parts of the state and almost the entire Telangana region, the north coastal districts of Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam bore the brunt of nature's fury with severe disruptions in power supply, road and rail traffic and communications network.

Officials stated that 18 people died following landslides triggered by incessant rains in the two districts. Operation of flights to and from Visakhapatnam airport was suspended following flooding of the runway. Many trains under Eastern railway were running late as rainwater inundated tracks.

Chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, who reviewed the rain situation at a high-level meeting here, would undertake an aerial survey of the affected districts on Saturday.

He directed the officials to take up relief measures on war footing.The state government announced an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 each to the families of those killed in the rains.

According to director of the Hyderabad weather office M Satyakumar, heavy rains are likely to continue for the next 48 hours in the Telangana districts of Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar and for the next 24 hours in the state capital.