Speaking to media persons after participating in the review meeting held by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the State Secretariat here on Thursday, Revenue Minister Dr N Raghuveera Reddy said that while four people were killed in Prakasam district, six deaths have been reported from Hyderabad and other places in the State due to rain-related incidents. Crops spread across 2.5 lakh hectares and nearly 300 houses were damaged due to heavy rains.

So far, about 6,500 people have been shifted from low-lying areas to 19 relief camps set up in the affected areas. He informed that nine passengers of a bus who were stranded in floods in Prakasam have been rescued by the local residents and authorities.

Stating that the relief and rescue operations was being taken up on war footing, he said all the District Administrations have been put on alert in view of a warning by the Met Department of heavy to very heavy rains in the several parts of the State during the next two days. He said help would be sought from the National Disaster Management Authority and other agencies, wherever required. He appealed to the people to assist and cooperate with the local authorities in the relief and rehabilitation works.

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Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema were the worst hit although heavy rains disrupted normal life in several parts of Telangana region. Kalingapatnam of Srikakulam district received maximum rainfall of 32 centimetres followed by Ongole (31); Kakinada (20); Bapatla (12); Visakhapatnam (10); Vizag Airport (8); Machlipatnam (7) and Narsapur and Gannavaram received 5 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.

Several localities in villages and towns were submerged following heavy rains. The road transportation came to a halt in several towns after roads got inundated due to heavy rainfall. The train services too were badly affected and the authorities had to divert several trains due to overflowing of tracks near Ichchapuram and other places. Incessant rains also disrupted the normal life in Hyderabad and massive traffic jams were reported from several places.

While one death was reported from Guntur district, three more persons of a family were killed due to wall collapse in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The entire administration has been put an alert and District Collectors have been asked to evacuate people from low-lying areas, wherever necessary.

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The TDP chief on Thursday called up Chief Secretary Dr PK Mohanty requesting him to hasten the rescue operations in rain affected district. He asked him to engage helicopters to air-lifted people stranded in Eduraldapadu of Prakasam district and other places. He said that the relief and rescue operations should be taken on war-footing.

Meanwhile, Naidu also the TDP cadre to help the authorities in rescue and relief works wherever needed in the flood affected areas.

- INN