Heavy rains and floods in Andhra Pradesh have so far claimed 15 lives and affected more than 4.48 lakh people across seven districts, officials said on Monday.
Three persons are reported missing in rain-related incidents in NTR district. A total of 19 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 20 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed for search and rescue operations in the affected districts.
Navy authorities were requested to arrange two helicopters to take up search and rescue operations in the affected areas. One helicopter has already arrived at Vijayawada.
The state government has requested the Centre to arrange six helicopters for airlifting of stranded people and air-dropping food items. It also sought 10 NDRF teams and 40 motorised boats for undertaking search and rescue operations.
Officials said that 80 boats (37 non-motorised and 43 motorised) were arranged to evacuate people from inundated areas in Vijayawada. Another 39 boats from Kakinada, Eluru and Prakasam were on the way to Vijayawada.
Another 64 boats were arranged in Krishna and Bapatla Districts for rescue operations. A total of 276 active swimmers were engaged along with boats for rescue operations.
NTR district accounted for seven deaths including five in landslides in Vijayawada city.
Five people were killed in Guntur district. One teacher and two students in Pedakakani mandal belong to a private school, travelling from Uppalapadu to Namburu were washed away in a local stream.
In Prakasam district, three children died due to drowning.
Agriculture crops over 1.51 lakh hectares in 20 districts have been damaged. Officials said that horticulture crops over 13,920 hectares were also damaged.
The heavy rains and floods have affected 4.48 lakh people. The authorities have opened 166 relief camps, where 31,238 people have been accommodated.
In NTR district alone 2.76 lakh people have been affected by the natural calamity. The authorities have shifted 11,567 people to 67 relief camps.
In Guntur, the second worst-hit district, over 75,000 people have been affected. The authorities shifted 1,462 people to relief camps.
In Eluru district, a total of 30,592 people have been affected. The number of affected in Palnadu district is 25,324. In Bapatla district, heavy rains and floods have affected 30,785 people.
Drugs valued at Rs 71 crore seized in Assam; 2 held
Heroin and highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 71 crore, were seized during two separate operations in Assam's Kamrup district on Friday, officials said.
One held with cannabis worth Rs 15 Lakh in Sonamura
In a major breakthrough in Tripura Police’s ongoing crackdown on narcotics, a joint team led by Sonamura Police Station seized 325 kilograms of dried cannabis (ganja) from a house in Ananda Nagar village under Sepahijala district’s Sonamura Sub-division
BJP MP launches attack on Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi over National Herald case
The BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, accused in the National Herald case, in Agartala on Friday.
Two Bangladeshi women held at Agartala Railway Station
In a coordinated operation carried out on Thursday late night, two Bangladeshi women were arrested from Agartala Railway Station for illegally entering Indian Territory with the alleged intention of travelling to Mumbai via Kolkata.
2 minors among 315 arrested so far in connection with Murshidabad violence: Bengal Police report
A total of 315 arrests have been made so far in connection with the communal violence in Murshidabad district of West Bengal over protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act last week, including two minors, confirmed the West Bengal Police in its report,
No plan to levy GST on UPI transactions over Rs 2,000: Govt
The Finance Ministry on Friday made it clear that the government is not considering any proposal to levy Goods and Services Tax (GST) on UPI transactions over Rs 2,000.
Tripura CM discusses state govt's key plans with HM Shah, JP Nadda
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday in separate meetings in New Delhi discussed important development plans of the state government with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda.
HM Amit Shah's 2026 deadline in sight as Sukma panchayat declared Maoist-free
This signalled a breakthrough in the government’s counter-insurgency and rehabilitation strategy. The mass surrender not only reflects a weakening of Maoist influence but also reaffirms HM Shah’s ambitious deadline as increasingly within reach.