One week of rain claims 22 lives in AP; Crops damaged

HYDERABAD: As many as 22 people were killed and crops in over 60,000 hectares suffered damage due to heavy rains that has lashed Andhra Pradesh for a week now.

Besides the death of 22 people, five persons sustained injuries in various rain-related incidents, official sources said here today.

They did not provide details of the rain-related deaths. Standing cotton, soya bean, maize, paddy and pulses crops were damaged in 60,466 hectares in eight districts, which were worst hit by the downpour, they said.

As many as 409 minor irrigation tanks and 3,877 kms of roads also suffered damage.

The sources said 65 relief camps providing shelter to 26,357 people were functioning as on today in the districts of Khammam, East and West Godavari.

One helicopter was stationed at Rajahmundry and seven teams of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in six districts. One additional team each was deployed in West Godavari and Adilabad districts.

Light to moderate rain would occur at a few places over coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema in the next 48 hours. A low pressure area lies over gangetic West Bengal and neighbourhood, the MeT department sources said.