Incessant rains in the last 24 hours caused a deluge in Guntur and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh, paralysing normal life and affecting transport services.
A middle-aged woman was killed when her house wall collapsed due to heavy rains at Karalapadu village in Guntur district.
Palnadu area in Guntur district was the worst hit because of the heavy downpour caused by a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, coupled with a vigorous southwest monsoon.
Farmers in the parched Rayalaseema region, however, received rain with cheer as their hopes of reviving the standing crops enhanced with the current spell.
Allagadda in Kurnool district recorded 6 cm of rain, while many other places received rainfall in the quantum of 1-4 cm.
Passenger train services between Macherla and Guntur were cancelled after a 500-m portion of the railway track at the Gurazala Gate Halt was washed away in the flood caused by Dandi rivulet.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the Collectors of Guntur and Prakasam districts and asked them to be on alert as more rainfall has been forecast for the next 24 hours.
He asked them to take all precautionary measures to prevent damages and also provide relief to needy people.
He directed Guntur district Collector Kantilal Dande to provide alternative transportation to passengers stranded due to cancellation of trains on Macherla-Guntur route.
The Chief Minister also spoke to AP Transco authorities and enquired about the damages caused to electrical equipment as the District Store in Ongole was inundated.
Guntur district Joint Collector (in charge) Venkateswara Rao said about 250 houses in three colonies in Gurazala were submerged in floodwaters.
The affected families were shifted to relief camps, he said. He supervised rescue and relief measures along with Gurazala MLA Y Srinivasa Rao.
A release from the IMD said Jangameswaram in Guntur district recorded the highest 23 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours followed by 17 cm in Macherla and Chimakurti (Prakasam district).
Ongole town, headquarters of Prakasam district received
15 cm of rain while Karamchedu and Darsi in the district received 14 cm and 13 cm respectively.
Rivulets were in spate while tanks started overflowing as there was no let up in the rain.
The APSRTC bus station in Gurazala was inundated, disrupting bus services.
Road transport between many villages in Palnadu remained cut off as the rivulets remained in spate, spilling floodwater onto the causeways.
About two feet of floodwater flowed into the sanctum sanctorum of the Trivikrama Swamy temple at Cherukuru in the district.
A major tank also breached in Yerragondapalem mandal of Prakasam district, cutting off transportation between Anna Samudram and other villages, reports reaching here said.
