12 killed as rain wreaks havoc in AP, Kerala, depression intensifies

New Delhi, June 22 (UNI) At least ten people were killed in rain-related incidents as the deep depression, which crossed the coast close to Kakinada, threw normal life out of gear in Andhra Pradesh today while two people were killed and one injured due to torrential rains in Kerala during the past 24 hours.

The depression which lay over west-central Bay of Bengal intensified into deep depression and crossed Andhra Pradesh coast close to Kakinada this morning.

Guntur and Karimnagar Districts accounted for three deaths each, and East Godavari one, according an official release here.

A report from Ongole said two people were killed in wall collapse in separate incidents in Prakasam District battered by heavy rainfall.

A fisherman drowned in the sea and eight others missing when their boat capsized, a report from Kakinada said.

Rescue teams today helped passengers in five buses which were stranded in an overflowing rivulet at Kundu near Mahanandi in Kurnool District, about 300 km from here, even as vehicular traffic on the National Highway was disrupted.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was in New Delhi to attend the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, reviewed the situation and directed officials to take immediate relief measures.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted more rainfall in Telangana and Rayalaseema tomorrow.

Two people were killed and one injured while thousands of people moved to relief camps, as torrential rains under the impact of the South West Monsoon continued to wreck havoc in Kerala during the past 24 hours.

One person was killed in Thiruvananthapuram and another in Kollam. A woman was injured in landslides at Moolamattam in Idukki district.

Nearly 8,000 people were shifted to relief camps as coastal and low-lying areas continued to be threatened by sea erosion and floods, sources said.

The deep depression, which lay centered close to Gannavaram adjoining the Krishna district, was likely to move in a west-north-westerly direction and weaken gradually, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Under its influence, widespread rains with scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall were likely over Andhra Pradesh, North Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts during the next 36 hours, an Indian Meteorological Department Spokesman told UNI that Avanigadda in Krishna district and Bapatla in Guntur district recorded an extremely heavy rainfall of 32 cm and 25 cm, respectively.

Meanwhile, scorching heat prevailed in north-west India as the mercury continued its upward movement despite rains but hovered below normal at most places in the north-region.

Several areas in the region, including Narnaul, Hoshiarpur, Nangal Dam, Madhopur, Shahpur Kandi, Ranjit Sagar Dam, Bhuntar, Shimla, Sundernagar, Kalpa and Kasol, were lashed by rain overnight.

The temperatures rose in Himachal Pradesh with Bhuntar in Kullu district recording 34.8 degrees, Sunderdnagar in Mandi district 34.9 degrees and Kalpa in Kinnaur district 24.7 degrees.

State capital Shimla recorded the temperature at 24.3 degrees.

People groaned under hot weather conditions in Punjab where Patiala was the hottest place recording 38.2 degrees celsius, two degrees below normal. The maximum also hovered below normal by four degrees at Amritsar and three degrees at Ludhiana, respectively recording 36.0 degrees and 37.2 degrees celsius.

With temperatures rising amidst dust storms, summer days seem to be back in Rajasthan. Jaisalmer remained the hottest in the state recording a maximunm temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius.

Chennai and surrounding areas were experiencing continuous drizzles and intermittent rains since Wednesday evening, which is expected to continue for few more days. The city recorded a rainfall of 24.4 mm.

Heavy rains lashed most places on the Karnataka coast under the influence of South-West Monsoon.

Traffic was affected in Udupi and Mangalore cities with highway flooded with water at Kalsanka in the heart of the temple town due to heavy rains lashing the area during the last three days.

Sea erosion continued at Nagur, Dali River Bridge connecting Kollur and Shimoga, Maravanthe and Kodi. Low-lying areas in Mangalore city and paddy fields were flooded with rain water.

Bhatkal received very heavy rainfall of 20 cms. The other stations that experienced heavy rainfall were, Kumta 18 cm, Udupi 15 cm and Karwar 14 cm.

UNI