Andhra floods: Five dead, several missing as Cheyyeru river in spate

Amid severe flooding in Andhra Pradesh, several people are believed to have been washed away by the Cheyyeru river in Kadapa district on Friday, November 19. Five bodies have been recovered so far, officials say. The river overflowed due to heavy inflow from the Annamayya irrigation project, where a bund was breached on Friday. This resulted in flash floods which inundated villages around Nandalur, Rajampet and surrounding areas.

Speaking to TNM, Kadapa Superintendent of Police (SP) KKN Anburajan said that so far, five bodies have been recovered from the Cheyyeru river, which was in spate, by rescue teams. He added that it is not yet known how many people have been washed away. The SP also said that rescue operations by police, along with fire and disaster management authorities, are underway in the district.

Meanwhile, in Mullapudi in the Tirupati rural mandal, as many as five people were washed away by the overflowing Swarnamukhi river. However, rescue teams were able to pull two of them to safety using ropes.

The rains also caused four houses in Kadiri in Anantapur district to collapse. In the tragic incident, 12 people, including two children, were stuck under the debris. Officials have recovered the bodies of three people, including the children. However, eight people are still believed to be stuck under the debris.

Meanwhile, over 30 passengers in an Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus were washed away by the flood. Over 12 people were left dead and several more are still missing according to officials.

Heavy rains lashed Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur districts on Friday under the influence of a depression which crossed north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Chennai in the early hours of Friday. Low-lying areas in the three districts were inundated while rivulets, streams, tanks and reservoirs were overflowing.