Andhra flood situation grim, toll reaches 50

While the death toll has climbed to 50 as heavy rains battered the coastal regions for the last three days, many thousands have been evacuated and many more are waiting for help in submerged villages, officials said.

With floods in two major rivers and heavy rains continuing, authorities fear that the situation might worsen further.

With most parts of the state receiving heavy rainfall, there were huge inflows into the Krishna river and its tributaries.

If the Krishna is flowing near the danger mark inundating more than 100 villages in Krishna and Guntur districts, the Godavari is also overflowing its banks leading to a grim situation in Khammam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts.

Bhadrachalam town and some 300 villages in Khammam are under water while 100 villages in East and West Godavari districts have been inundated. Water levels at Dowlesw-aram Barrage at Rajhmun-dry town crossed danger mark on Tuesday night. And more than 2.

2 million cusecs of water has been let into the sea submerging 50 villages downstream.

Water has entered several localities in Vijayawada city and inundated National Highway 9, which connects the main towns of Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakh-apatnam to Chennai and Kolkata. Thousands of vehicles have been stranded on the highway.

The situation is no different in Guntur district where more than 50 villages have been inundated. Authorities are using boats to rescue people while two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have also been pressed into service.

The weather office has forecast more rains in Telangana and coastal Andhra during the next 48 hours as the low pressure area was moving fromChhattisgarh to Ramagundam in Karimnagar district.

Following incessant rains, transport services in the state have been thrown out of gear.

The National Highway Nine, connecting Hyderabad to Vijaywa-da, Vishakapatnam, Chennai and Kolkata, remained closed.Hundred of cars, buses and trucks were stranded for hours.