Incessant rains for the last 24 hours due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal has taken a toll of 32 lives in Andhra Pradesh while seven fishermen are missing.
Rivers are overflowing, streams are in spate and bunds of hundreds of tanks have breached flooding large areas and causing untold misery to people. The worst affected is Kurnool district which has recorded at least half of the total death toll in the state. Rail and road communication has been seriously affected and hundreds of passengers have been stranded. Train services have been affected with several trains cancelled and others diverted to other lines. Several villages have been cut off as communication facilities have been disrupted. Roads have disappeared under several feet of water, affecting normal life across the state.
Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds with a speed of 45 to 55 km per hour, hit the coastal areas of AP under the impact of a low-pressure area that crossed the coast near Kakinada town early Friday. According to the MET Dept here, the depression which crossed the coastal Andhra on Sunday is now centered near Osmanabad in Maharashtra.
The entire state, including the drought prone Rayalaseema districts are experiencing heavy rainfall. The state experienced 14 to 40 cms rainfall. Deaths have been reported from Guntur, Karimnagar, Kadapa, Hyderabad, East Godavari, West Godavari, Prakasam, Srikakulam and Mahabubnagar.
In Kakinada, seven fishermen out of eight who went into the sea are missing. The body of one fisherman was recovered. The government has announced ex gratia compensation of Rs two lakhs to the affected family.
Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who is monitoring the flood situation personally cancelled his aerial survey on Saurday morning as weather conditions did not permit it.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Trnasport Corporation (APSRTC) has suspended its services on ‘doubtful and dangerous routes.’
The army and navy have been pressed into rescue operations particularly in Kurnool and Nandyal towns.
The CM cut short his visit to Delhi and rushed back to the city to monitor the situation as the flood situation turned grave. Briefing the media here late on Saturday, he announced Rs two lakh compensation to the families of those killed in the rain havoc.
Rescue efforts
Officials said all the 14 passengers of a bus caught in the floodwaters in Orvakallu stream in Kurnool district were rescued. Seven other persons stranded in swirling waters of a stream in Mumbalapalli in Chittoor district were also rescued by local authorities.  However six passengers of an autorickshaw were washed away n flash floods in Kurnool district.
Flights cancelled
The rains have hit the air services to the port city of Visakhapatnam. Several airlines, including Indian, Air Deccan, Paramount and Kingfisher, have cancelled their flights due to poor visibility and the flooding of the runway.

In Hyderabad, two children died after falling into open manholes. They were swept away in the flooded drains and their bodies were recovered after more than 24 hours. They fell into the open manholes that they could not see in the flooded roads.
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