9 Dead as Heavy Rains Batter Andhra and Telangana

Torrential rains continued to wreak havoc in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the second consecutive day, resulting in severe flooding, submerging houses, and leaving cars stranded. According to the South Central Railway, the relentless downpour has led to the cancellation of over 20 trains and the diversion of more than 30 others across both states.

In Andhra Pradesh, several villages, including Ambapuram, Nainavaram, Nunna, and Pathapadu in the Vijayawada Rural Mandal, were completely submerged. Police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have launched rescue and relief operations, evacuating residents to rehabilitation centers.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned about Cyclone “Asna,” a deep depression over the Arabian Sea, which is expected to move west-northwest, away from the Indian coast within the next 24 hours. The depression over north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha has been responsible for the heavy rainfall in these regions over the past two days. According to an IMD official, it crossed the coast near Kalingapatnam early Sunday.

The weather office stated, “Depression over South Odisha and adjoining South Chhattisgarh and north Andhra Pradesh is about 60 km southeast of Jagdalpur, 70 km northeast of Malkangiri. It is likely to move across South Odisha, South Chhattisgarh, and Vidarbha and weaken into a Well-Marked Low-Pressure Area during the next 24 hours.”

Nine Dead in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation with senior officials and directed the use of technologies such as drones to assess the flooding and plan relief operations accordingly. Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha reported that 13,227 people were evacuated from 294 villages across five districts.

“Nine people have died due to the heavy rains so far. Police, NDRF, and SDRF teams have rescued 600 people from the affected areas. A total of 17 NDRF and SDRF teams have conducted rescue operations in 22 submerged locations across seven districts,” said Anitha in an official release.

In the NTR district, passengers were stranded at the station after the Tamil Nadu Express was halted due to flooding in Rayanapadu village. Authorities had to transport passengers to Vijayawada via RTC buses and later used tractors and JCBs to move them to the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway when the flood situation failed to improve.

Heavy Rain Disrupts Life in Telangana

In Telangana, heavy rain has severely disrupted normal life, particularly in Hyderabad and other parts of the state. The downpour has caused widespread waterlogging, with rivulets overflowing and cutting off road links between villages in some districts.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy held an emergency review meeting with ministers, officials, and elected representatives to assess the situation. He instructed ministers, MPs, MLAs, and MLCs to remain in their respective areas and actively participate in relief efforts.

In a tragic incident in Mahabubabad, Telangana, a young scientist, Dr. Nunavath Ashwini, was found dead after being washed away by floodwaters. She was associated with the ICAR – National Institute of Biotic Stress Management in Raipur. Search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate her missing father.