ha dejado ya 41 muertos
41 die in rain, floods in southern India
1 hour, 10 minutes ago
HYDERABAD, India (AFP) - Three days of heavy rain and flash floods had left 41 people dead and forced more than 55,000 from their homes in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, according to official figures released Saturday.
Incessant rains since Thursday night had dumped almost 200 millimetres (8 inches) on low-lying areas in three districts, causing rivers and streams to flood.
"In all, 41 deaths are reported," the office of the state's disaster management commissioner said in a statement.
Almost half the deaths took place in the southwestern district of Kurnool, where 14 people died at a bridge construction site and six people were washed away while driving, it said.
More than 55,000 people had been evacuated to 95 relief camps, it said.
A disaster management official told AFP the southeastern coastal state was concerned about the situation in Kurnool, where the Kundu River has overflowed and marooned Nandyal, a town of approximately 150,000 people.
Rains had weakened but were expected to continue through Saturday.
State officials said late Friday the flooding had disrupted road, rail and air traffic across the state, as well as causing power and telecom failures.
Hundreds of people die every year in India due to extreme weather, with more than 100 people perishing in a heat wave across northern India earlier this month.