VIJAYAWADA: At least eight people have lost their lives in continuing torrential rains in Andhra Pradesh following the depression in the Bay of Bengal.
In the first incident, five persons died, three others suffered injuries while one remained trapped in debris when boulders on the Ramakoti hill slipped due to heavy rains and fell on houses in Moghalrajpuram of Vijayawada on Saturday. Rescue operations have been hampered due to bad weather conditions and will resume on Sunday morning.
In the second tragic incident, three persons, including two kids, were killed after the car in which they were travelling got washed away in Uppalapadu drain in Guntur district due to heavy rains. The deceased have been identified as Raghavendra, a school teacher, and his two sons, Satvik and Manvit.
Landslides in Gandalayapet area of Mangalagiri destroyed many houses. Officials found an old woman Nagaratnamma dead in one of the houses.
Authorities closed the Kanaka Durga Temple ghat road when boulders started falling from the upper portions of the hill.
The state has been witnessing incessant rains since last night, with several rivers overflowing. Several bus stands, police stations and temples in Machilipatnam, Gudivada and Gannavaram areas are in water.
Following heavy rains, vehicular traffic has come to a standstill on the Mangalagiri main road connecting Vijayawada with Chennai. Traffic got severely disrupted at Kaza toll plaza. Commuters travelling between Guntur and Vijayawada are facing severe problems due to waterlogging. A traffic snarl could be seen for three kilometres. Rainwater entered the Acharya Nagarjuna University, inconveniencing students.
Kadapa RTC bus stand in YSR district is witnessing severe waterlogging. Many regions in Eluru district have been submerged. Eluru Government Hospital premises, R.R. Peta main road and Power Peta road are flooded.
Schools remained closed on Saturday due to rainfall. Examinations scheduled on Saturday have been postponed to September 6.
In Guntur, the Nambur lake in Pedakakani mandal overflowed and water entered many houses. The overflowing of Gaddipadu pond in Guntur city has inundated nearby houses.
Police rescued three people travelling in an autorickshaw from drowning when the vehicle started getting washed away in the stream at Nekkallu.
State government has set up a Central Command Control in view of the heavy rains throughout the state. The command control is being supervised by 19 officials headed by CCLA Jayalakshmi. Command control rooms have also been set up in every district to face the deteriorating situation following the rains.
In Mangalagiri, the Nidamarru pond overflowed, with flood water inundating the SC Colony. A huge tree fell in Tirumala in which a Chennai-based woman Umamaheswari suffered injuries. She has been shifted to hospital for treatment.
Incessant heavy rains lashed out erstwhile East and West Godavari districts. All low-lying areas are inundated in these districts. Pedda Cheruvu near Durga Gudi in Nuzvid of Eluru district suffered a breach. It led to 50 houses getting surrounded by water.
Kurnool and Nandyal districts have been experiencing moderate rainfall. Srisailam recorded 6.6 cm of rain during the past 24 hours. Atmakur recorded 5.6 cm, followed by Nandikotkur 5.4 cm, and Kurnool Rural and Kosigi, which recorded 4.2 cm of rain.
Minister Nara Lokesh reviewed the situation due to heavy rains in Mangalagiri. He instructed officials to continue relief and rehabilitation measures.
(Inputs from Sri Krishna Kummara, Vadrevu Srinivas and P.V. Prasad)
