At least 23 people have been killed in heavy rains and flash floods in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, news reports said Saturday.Nine people died after their houses collapsed during incessant rains in the state capital Hyderabad, while 14 were killed in six districts along the coast, IANS news agency reported.
At least 36 people have died in Andhra Pradesh in accidents brought on by the heavy rains over the past week. The rains have led to the overflowing of streams, reservoirs and to flash floods in the six affected districts. Hyderabad recorded 13.6 centimetres of rainfall on Friday night, meteorological officials said. The rains inundated roads and residential areas, disrupted power and communication lines and created traffic snarls.
The local weather office said the rains were caused by a low-lying depression formed over the Bay of Bengal along the Andhra coast. It forecast more rain over the next 24 hours. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy has directed district officials to evacuate people from low-lying areas. Officials said 40,000 acres of farm land in six districts of the state had been flooded and there was a huge loss of livestock.