Slowly receding floods give a ray of hope, says Andhra Pradesh CM

Hyderabad, Oct.3 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K.Rosaiah on Saturday said that the floodwaters, caused by heavy downpour for the last three days, have started receding slowly in Andhra Pradesh.

"Fortunately it (flood) is declining, not very heavily but slowly it is declining and it's giving a ray of hope. In the meantime government has taken several steps to help the victims," said K.Rosaiah, Andhra Pradesh chief minister.

More than 130 people have died and hundreds are being evacuated due to heavy rains, which have lashed parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the last few days.

Rains have damaged crops and disrupted communications and transport links.

Police said most of the victims were washed away in flooded rivers or died when their homes collapsed.

At least 25 people have died in Andhra Pradesh and rescue and relief work is underway.

A depression in the Bay of Bengal led to the heavy rains in the region, weather officials said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force, which is carrying out rescue work in Karnataka dropped about 3,600 kilograms of relief material mainly food packets in and around the flood-hit areas and saved about 43 of lives.

"But today morning we had launched three more additional ... helicopters and in addition we have also launched a Chetak helicopter to Hubli. Now we are told there is a request of aircraft at Hubli to provide relief because of the landslide. Since morning we have developed 3,600 kilograms of relief material in three ... helicopters, generally north of Raichur and Mantralaya," Air commodore V S Bharti of Indian Air Force told reporters in provincial capital Bangalore.

Nearly 100 people have died in Karnataka, which is worst hit by rains.

Authorities were shifting hundreds of people from low-lying areas to school buildings and temples on higher ground, but the Air Force said rain and storms were hindering operations. (ANI)