By IANS
Hyderabad : Flash floods have claimed seven lives in Andhra Pradesh as heavy rains lashed several parts of the state, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting vehicular, rail and air traffic and snapping electricity and communication lines, officials said Friday.
Dozens of towns and villages in parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh as well as Kurnool and Anantapur districts in Rayalseema region were inundated as rivulets, streams and irrigation tanks were overflowing and some of them even breached following incessant rains in the last 24 hours.
Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds with a speed of 45 to 55 km per hour, hit the coastal areas of the state under the impact of a low-pressure area that crossed the coast near Kakinada town early Friday.
Telugu television channels, however, reported that eight people died due to lightning while 15 were missing.
The first heavy rains of the season caused widespread havoc in East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool and Anantapur districts, throwing normal life out of gear, uprooting trees and communication and electricity towers.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded in buses and trains as roads and railway tracks were submerged at several places in Kurnool, Guntur, Anantapur and Chittoor districts.
Officials said all 21 passengers of a bus caught in the floodwaters in Orvakallu stream in Kurnool district were rescued. Seven other people caught in Mumbalapalli in Chittoor district were also rescued by local authorities.
Water entered several colonies in Macherla town in Guntur district and Ongole town in Prakasam district. There are also reports of people standing on top of their houses, waiting for help.
Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has asked authorities to alert the army and navy to take up rescue and relief operations in any eventuality.
Weather office has forecast more rains in the next 36 hours. Authorities have set up control rooms in all districts to monitor the situation.
The chief minister, who is cutting short his New Delhi visit and rushing back to Hyderabad Friday night, has asked the district collectors to evacuate people from the low-lying areas to safer places.
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.
Andhra Pradesh has over 1,000-km-long coast and the nine coastal districts are vulnerable to floods, storms and cyclones.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and official apathy in the city claimed the life of a nine-year-old boy who was drowned in an open manhole here Friday, a day after another child was washed away in an open drain.