Rains wreak havoc in AP, Maharashtra

Torrential monsoon rains today crippled Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, claiming 15 lives. The flood situation continued to be grim in Andhra Pradesh where the death toll rose to 62.

The rains also hit life in Chhattisgarh where five persons were feared dead after being washed away by floods and in Orissa a fresh wave of floods claimed eight lives.

In Maharashtra, five people died when a wall collapsed in Nanded district while 10 died in western Vidharbha in different rain-related incidents.

Over 10,000 people were evacuated to safer places after the Godavari river crossed the danger mark at several places. Heavy rains for the third consecutive day flooded Mumbai's streets and crippled rail and road traffic. Commuter trains on the central and harbour lines were disrupted by waterlogging of tracks.

Authorities used two helicopters to evacuate people in three villages in Vidharbha region. The Painganga river in Yavatmal district left about 1,300 people stranded. People living along the banks of Godavari river were alerted after the irrigation department released 11,610 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Gangapur dam.

In Andhra Pradesh, the flood situation in Bhadrachalam town was grim with the Godavari river in spate. Authorities evacuated 14,000 families to relief camps set up near the temple town, officials said.

The rains, triggered by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, played havoc in the north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. Districts in coastal and Telengana regions too experienced heavy rains.

The death toll in Andhra Pradesh in rain-related incidents rose to 62, with Visakhapatnam accounting for the maximum number of deaths (14), followed by Vizianagaram (11) and Khammam (eight), East Godavari (six), Nizamabad and Warangal (four each) and Srikakulam (three).

One death was registered in West Godavari, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Guntur and Nalgonda districts while Krishna and Medak districts accounted for two deaths each, officials said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy made an aerial survey of the affected districts. Trains, buses and flights were cancelled as roads, railway tracks and the Visakhapatnam airport were inundated by flood waters.

In Orissa, three persons were swept away by the Kolab river while a man died when a wall collapsed on him in Koraput district on August 3, officials said.

Another person was drowned in flood waters in Jajpur. Godavari and its tributaries were overflowing and people in low-lying areas of Khammam, Adilabad, Nizamabad and East and West Godavari districts were shifted to safer places.

Two Navy boats from Visakhaptanam, 16 helicopters and small mechanised boats were used to evacuate people.

Three girls were also swept away by flood waters in Gajapati district yesterday. Officials said they were inquiring into reports that members of 25 families were missing in Malkangiri district.

Orissa has witnessed over 100 mm of rain over the last five days, triggering floods in several rivers.

In Chhattisgarh, officials said they had reports of five persons being swept away in Dantewada district. They said the rains had caused losses to the tune of crores of rupees in the district.