12 killed as heavy rains wreak havoc in south India

NEW DELHI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) — At least 12 people were killed as heavy rains wreaked havoc in India’s southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, officials said Sunday.
While nine people were killed in Andhra Pradesh, the neighboring Telangana reported three deaths.
Rains battered Vijayawada and Guntur towns of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, following which several residential areas witnessed flooding. The rains have been lashing several parts of the state under the impact of depression in the Bay of Bengal, which crossed the coast at Kalingapatnam in the early hours of Sunday.
Five people were killed and four injured in the landslide at Moghalrajpuram in Vijayawada on Saturday. An elderly woman was killed after a boulder fell on a house in Gandalayyapeta, Mangalagiri of Guntur district. In another incident, three persons were killed after their car was washed away in a flash flood at Uppalapadu village near Guntur city.
According to officials, personnel from the police, State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force have carried out rescue efforts. Many residents from low-lying areas have been moved to safer locations, and around 80 people have been rescued from various spots. ■