Toll rises to 10 in rain-hit Vizag; Central team to visit AP

Visakhapatnam: The toll in rain-related incidents in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh rose to 10 today while a Central team is expected to visit the state to assess the damage caused by the heavy showers.

Three persons were killed in separate rain-related incidents on September 22 and 23, while seven more lost their lives since then.

Most of them were either washed away in floodwaters or drowned in swollen rivers, District Collector Praveen Kumar said in a release.

The state government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those killed, he said.

He said in all 459 houses had been damaged and 6,130 hectares of paddy fields submerged in rain waters.

Meanwhile, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu today undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit parts of Guntur district.

He took off from Vijayawada in a helicopter and flew over several parts of the neighbouring district and inspected the damage caused to crops and railways tracks.

Later, the Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister spoke to officials in Guntur and learnt the details of losses.

He said a Central team will visit Andhra Pradesh after the state government submits a report on the losses. "Based on the team's assessment, necessary financial assistance will be provided by the Centre."

Heavy rains and subsequent deluge in Guntur last week had disrupted rail and road traffic with National Disaster Response Force being pressed into service for rescue and relief operation.

In Visakhapatnam, nearly 10,000 families were moved to safer places. Low-lying areas in various villages and mandals of the district were inundated, including reservoirs Raiwada and Thandava, due to incessant rainfall in the last three days, Kumar said.

According to latest reports, there were breaches in 14 check dams and 10 tanks and officials from Integrated Tribal Development Agency, Panchayat Raj and Roads and Buildings Department had been sent to assess the situation and plug the cracks, the Collector said.

He said a round-the-clock Command Control Centre was opened at the collectorate with a special team monitoring it under the supervision of District Revenue Officer.