Andhra Pradesh reeling under flood, death toll rises to 53

Hyderabad, August 10 : At least 53 people are feared dead, as incessant rains lashed Andhra Pradesh over the past five days.

Heavy rains and flash floods since Tuesday has resulted in widespread devastation in Hyderabad and eight other districts in coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Telangana region.

Hyderabad bore the brunt of the calamity with 14 people losing their lives, mostly in house collapses. Over 50 residential areas in and around the state capital were inundated with overflowing tanks and storm water drains.

Dozens of villages in the eight districts are under water as many rivers and water tanks were either overflowing or have breached.

Normal life came to a standstill in the affected districts as some roads are under water. Also, vehicular traffic between major towns remained paralysed.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada and the Bhadrachalam-Vijayawada roads.

Moreover, weather officials have predicted more showers in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Some places are likely to receive more than 25 centimeter of rainfall.

Authorities have warned people living in low-lying areas to move to safer places while fishermen were advised not to venture out to the sea.

ANI