AP rain fury: Toll mounts to 42, over 84,000 evacuated

Incessant rains lashing Andhra Pradesh for the last five days have claimed 42 lives so far in various rain-related incidents like wall collapse and inundated crops in about eight lakh hectares, official sources said here today.

Five persons were also missing in the wake of heavy rains, triggered by a low pressure area and north east monsoon, and floods, the sources said. They said 84,769 people have been evacuated to safer places and 225 relief camps set up so far to provide shelter and offer help. Nineteen teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in various districts for rescue operations. The state government has deployed 580 medical teams to provide aid to the victims of heavy rains. The downpour caused inundation of standing cotton, paddy, maize, groundnut, sugarcane, redgram, tobacco and also horticulture crops in as many as 7.99 lakh hectares, they said.
 The heavy rains led to breaches to 1,020 minor irrigation tanks and damaged roads in 4047.50 kms. The massive rainfall left normal life paralysed in several parts of the state with water inundating low-lying and vulnerable residential areas, disrupting public transport and causing massive damage to agriculture fields. Several rivers like Vamsadhara, Bahuda in Srikakulam and a number of rivulets were in spate following heavy rains. According to a report from Visakhapatnam, the heavy rains have brought transportation, power supply and communication services to a grinding halt in many areas of the north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam.
 Rains caused waterlogging on the railway tracks at various places between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada resulting in cancellation, diversion of various trains, it said. According to official sources, heavy rainfall continued to be reported at several places in the coastal districts of Visakhapanam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari today. They include Kannuripalem 276 mm, Pasupatirega 213 mm, Kasimkota 190 mm, Anakapalle 183 mm, Peddatadepalli  180 mm and S Kota 155 mm.