Heavy rain continues to lash coastal Andhra

Hyderabad : Heavy rain continued to lash parts of Andhra Pradesh Thursday under the impact of Cyclone Nilam which made a landfall near Chennai Wednesday night.

Three people were killed in rain-related incidents since Wednesday while the heavy downpour brought normal life to a standstill in southern coastal districts of Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur.

Two people were electrocuted and two others were injured at Kakinada in East Godavari district. The incident took place when electric wires fell on a canteen at a railway station due to heavy winds Wednesday night.

An old woman died in Nellore district due to sudden drop in temperature.

Chittoor district in Rayalaseema region, the northern coastal Andhra and parts of Telangana including Hyderabad were also receiving heavy rain under the impact of the cyclone, which has weakened into deep depression, according to the weather office.

Rivulets, streams and reservoirs were overflowing in Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur districts as incessant rain lashed the region since Wednesday. The strong winds snapped electricity lines and disrupted supply to over 100 villages in Nellore district.

Dozens of villages in the three districts were inundated, paralyzing the road transport.

Roads were also flooded in Nellore, Bapatla, Ongole and other towns in the region. Strong winds with a speed of 45 to 50 km per hour were blowing across the coastal districts, officials said.

Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre has forecast more rain over the next 24 hours. The sea conditions are rough with water gushing out up to 100 metres in some coastal villages.

The fishing operations remained suspended in the coastal region with authorities yet to withdraw the warning to fishermen.

In Hyderabad, the rain under the impact of cyclone caused inconvenience to school children and people going to work places in the morning. The downpour significantly brought down the day temperature.