Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in Andhra Pradesh, India, at least 16 people. Hundreds more are missing after being swept away by floodwaters. Hundreds of pilgrims are stranded at Tirupati. Indian Air Force, SDRF and firefighters are conducting joint rescue operations.
According to the NDTV report, the water of Swarnamukhi river on the outskirts of Tirupati has inundated the land. Besides, the reservoirs of the area are also flowing over the danger zone. Many people in the area have been flooded. Three buses owned by the Andhra Pradesh state government have been submerged in flood waters. Several teams of national and state disaster management authorities are deployed at the scene to handle the situation. Rescue operations are in full swing.
Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema region has been hit the hardest by the floods.
Besides, people of Chittur, Karapa, Kurnool and Anantapuram districts have also been affected by the floods. Public life has become unusable due to the breakdown of communication system in different places. Roads have been submerged in some places. Some vehicles on the road were washed away in the flood waters.
Tirupati International Airport was reopened for flights on Friday. However, two roads leading to the Tirumala hills are still closed. The stairway from Tirumala to Alipiri has been severely damaged by floods and landslides. And the benefactors who climbed the mountain are stuck there. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has instructed Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam officials to provide free accommodation to them.
Members of the Indian Air Force have rescued 10 people trapped in flood waters at Veldurathi village in the neighboring Anantapuram district. They were trapped inside a digging machine used in construction. Air Force members rescued them using MI-17 helicopters. The excavator was taken there yesterday to rescue four people from a vehicle stuck in flood waters in the area. However, due to the deteriorating flood situation, the excavator got stuck. As a result, 10 people including 8 people who were already in the excavation machine and 4 people who were rescued got stuck. When the Anantapuram Deputy Commissioner appealed to the Indian Air Force for help, the rescue operation was successfully completed.
33 relief camps have been opened in Karapa district. 1,200 people have been evacuated there. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on the phone about the flood situation. The chief minister will fly in on Saturday to monitor the flood situation, his office said. According to South Central Railway authorities, 11 passenger and express trains have been canceled. Besides, the movement of 5 trains has been partially canceled and the route of 26 trains has been changed.
