Flood in Andhra Pradesh leaves 25 dead, 17 missing. What we know so far

Andhra Pradesh government said late Saturday that at least 25 people have died, including a member of the State Disaster Response Force, as floods ravaged the state due to heavy rains under the influence of a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal. 17 people still remain missing.

In a press release, the state government said that the Indian Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, Police and Fire Services personnel saved at least 64 persons, including a police inspector, from the massive flash floods in Anantapuramu, Kadapa and Chittoor districts.

All in all, 17 teams of NDRF and SDRF were engaged in the rescue and relief operations in the three flood-ravaged districts in Rayalaseema region, along with SPS Nellore in south coastal Andhra.

To assess the damage, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy conducted an aerial survey in Kadapa, Anantapuramu and Chittoor districts.

He spoke to Collectors of Kadapa and Chittoor districts and obtained details about the devastation.

The government announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those killed.

While the situation in Tirupati town still remained grim, with many areas inundated, the scene on the holy Tirumala Hills was relatively better, though pouring rain did inconvenience pilgrims.

The deluge in the Chief Minister’s native Kadapa district saw the Annamayya project getting breached and left a trail of destruction in many villages downstream.

In SPS Nellore district, a constable placed in the State Disaster Response Force at Vizianagaram drowned while carrying out a rescue operation in Damaramadugu village in SPS Nellore district.

A total of 243 relief camps were opened in the four districts where 20,923 persons evacuated from flood-hit areas were lodged.

In wake of the flood, at least 10 Express trains have been cancelled on Saturday and Sunday in the Nellore-Padugupadu section in the Vijayawada division.

The state government said 1,549 houses, valued at over Rs five crore, were damaged while another 488 houses remained marooned.

Large damage to livestock was also reported as 612 heads of cattle were killed and 3,232 chickens perished. About 1,791 small cattle like sheep and goat were also killed in the deluge, causing a total loss of over Rs 2.31 crore.

Agricultural crops in over 2.33 lakh hectares and horticultural crops in about 20,000 hectares stood damaged, according to government data.