Rains in Andhra claim 30 lives

At least thirty people have been killed and over 40 are reportedly missing after torrential rains, caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, lashed Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad, June 23 : At least thirty people have been killed and over 40 are reportedly missing after torrential rains, caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, lashed Andhra Pradesh.

Heavy rains in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra have thrown normal life out of gear. Traffic and communication systems in several parts of the State have been severely hit.

Kurnool District and Nandyal towns were the worst affected and were virtually cut-off from rest of the State.

Several low-lying areas were submerged. The District Collectors have started evacuating people living in the low-lying areas adjoining the Krishna and Godavari.

The Army and the Navy have been instructed to stand-by for the rescue operations.

The Coast Guard has launched search operations in the sea near the harbour town of Kakinada, where about 40 fishermen were reported missing.

The Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was cut-off due to heavy rainfall. Train services were affected in Guntur division where several passenger trains were cancelled and others diverted. Some flights were cancelled at the Visakhapatnam airport.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Friday cut short his Delhi visit and reached Hyderabad to review the situation at a high-level meeting with officials. He has announced an ex-gratia of rupees two lakh each to the families of the dead.

ANI