Vijayawada, May 4 Two persons were killed as heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds, lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, affecting normal life and causing widespread damage to crops.
Two people were killed in separate incidents of lightning strikes in the Bapatla district.
Low-lying areas and roads were inundated while trees and electricity poles were uprooted due to heavy downpour and strong winds.
Vijayawada received heavy rains, throwing normal life out of gear. Roads in several areas in the city were inundated, affecting the movement of vehicular traffic.
The rains brought down the temperature, providing relief to people reeling under intense heat for the last few days.
Roads were inundated in areas like Moghalraja Puram and Patamata. Rainwater entered the Pandit Nehru Bus Stand. The authorities closed the Indira Keladri ghat road as a precautionary measure.
Heavy rains also lashed the Penamaluru and Gannavaram constituencies. Trees were uprooted and fell on the roads, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt.
NTR district Collector G. Lakshmisha visited the affected areas and directed officials to remove the fallen trees and clear water stagnation points.
Huge crop loss was reported due to rains in the Krishna district. Paddy, maize, and banana crops suffered huge loss.
Meanwhile, heavy rains along with gusty winds lashed the temple town of Tirupati. Low-lying areas and roads in many parts of the town were inundated. Trees and hoardings fell on the roads due to strong winds.
Bhimavaram in West Godavari district, Eluru, and Konaseema districts also received heavy rains. Gusty winds wreaked havoc, uprooting trees and damaging electricity towers.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, forecast thunderstorms with gale-force winds across north and south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema until May 7.
Minister for Housing and Information & Public Relations K. Parthasarthy on Sunday held a video conference with officials and reviewed the situation due to heavy rains.
He directed officials to remain alert in view of unseasonal rains and address issues related to drinking water and electricity supply.
The minister asked various departments to work in coordination to prevent any untoward incident.
He directed officials to submit details of the losses to mango and other horticulture crops in the Nuzvid constituency.
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