By IANS
Hyderabad : Dozens of villages in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district were flooded following heavy rains in neighbouring Orissa state.
Several villages have lost contact with the outside world and two people were feared washed away. Officials said 10,000 people from low-lying areas were shifted to relief camps.
About 40 villages along Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers have been inundated due to flash floods. The two rivers were in spate due to heavy inflows from upstream areas in Orissa.
The flash floods have hit the transport system. Electricity and communication towers were uprooted while standing crops on hundreds of acres of land were destroyed.
In Hyderabad, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy held a meeting with top officials to review the situation. He directed the district officials to monitor the situation closely and take up immediate steps to evacuate people from low-lying areas.
Andhra Pradesh has a 1,000 km-long coastline and nine coastal districts are vulnerable to floods and cyclones from June to October every year.