Cyclone Phethai: Farmer died of 'shock' due to crop damage in Andhra

Hyderabad, Dec 19: A farmer from Andhra Pradesh died in his field on Tuesday, after he was shocked at the devastation of his paddy crop by Cyclone Phethai, which swept through the state on Monday.

Farmer ies of heart attack:

In a heart-wrenching image, Gottipally Chinnasamy's body is seen in his flooded field, surrounded by a group of farmers.

According to the doctor, the paddy farmer from Srikakulam district died of a heart attack. He had gone to the field to break the bunds, remove waterlogging and save his crop, but could not bear the shock when he saw the damaged paddy. The farmer has three sons and a daughter.

10.3 lakh hectares of standing crop destroyed in Cyclone Phethai:

Over 10.3 lakh hectares of agricultural crop and more than 10,000 hectares of horticulture crops suffered damage in Andhra Pradesh due to Cyclone Phethai, as per the preliminary estimates made by Real Time Governance Society (RTGS). RTGS is the command centre in Amaravati which monitored the situation and sent quick updates to the respective authorities and departments.

533 relief centres across the state:

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-hit districts of East and West Godavari districts and relief efforts have been stepped up in the state. RTGS also said that they have set up 533 relief centres across East Godavari, Krishna, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram, West Godavari and Guntur districts, and served food for over 55,000 people.

About Cyclone Phethai:

Cyclone Phethai made landfall on Monday near Katrenikona in East Godavari, affecting the coastal districts with heavy rainfall, following which train services and flights were cancelled, and power supply was also disrupted. However, the authorities swiftly restored the power and cleared the roads, as relief teams were put on standby equipped with earthmovers.