Officials in Andhra Pradesh are on an alert after eight people died in Guntur on Friday and two went missing due to heavy rains that have lashed the state for two consecutive days. Four people were also washed away on Thursday in flash floods.
The district has been battered with rainfall since Wednesday. Thousands of people have been stranded, leading to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) helping with rescue operations. The situation was similar in neighbouring Telangana, with Hyderabad getting inundated in many areas.
As many as 7,000 people were evacuated from parts of Guntur to safety. Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa declared in gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
The Guntur-Hyderabad highway was cut off due to flooding and vehicular traffic came to a halt. Trains between Secunderabad and Guntur were stopped for more than 30 hours after tracks were damaged on Thursday. Traffic also stopped at a highway between Addanki and Narketpally near Guntur on Thursday. Five colonies were submerged due to excessive rain while a low-level bridge got washed away.
On Thursday, almost 40 people were rescued from a state transport bus that was stuck on a causeway at Krosuru, as flood water gushed in from the Utukuru rivulet. Stranded passengers were saved with the help of ropes.
Sattenapalli town and nearby villages were inundated as well, after rivulets and lakes were flooded. Rajappa has been touring Andhra Pradesh to gauge the amount of damage and oversee rescue-and-relief operations in the flood-hit areas.
