Heavy rain batters Andhra, 18 dead, over 67,000 evacuated

Hyderabad: A cyclonic storm that turned into a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has caused incessant rains in several parts of Andhra Pradesh. At least 18 people have died due to the rains over the last four days. Not just coastal and Rayalaseema, but Telangana is also experiencing heavy rains. Worried about possible breach to embankments and tanks due to flash floods, officials are looking to move people in several areas. Several hundred villages are cut off and over 67000 people have been evacuated. Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in isolated areas all over state in the next 48 hours. In Hyderabad itself, several colonies are inundated. People were either moving from ground floor to higher floors or to less flooded areas. In Saroornagar area, NDTV found a government-run hostel for tribal boys inundated with water. A few boys who could afford it, had moved. The rest remained behind with no food or help from anyone - their books, clothes and bed wet. ''If this is the condition in Hyderabad you can imagine how it will be in the hundreds of remote villages that are cut off. So is there a point in us trying to go to our homes? No one really cares what happens,'' his friend Devraj said. 12 NDRF teams have been deployed in the badly affected districts. In Guntur and in Prakasam district, relief teams rescued marooned passengers of public transport buses. Over 67000 people have been evacuated mainly in Srikakulam and Guntur district to 135 relief camps. Some 4700 houses have been damaged. Standing crop over 4.34 lakh hectares, mainly paddy and cotton, has been inundated and over 800 km of roads are reported damaged.   NDTV