NEW DELHI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 90 people have died in rain-related incidents in India's three states -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra over this week.
Incessant rains played havoc in Hyderabad, the capital city of the southern Telangana state, on Tuesday, leaving as many as 50 people dead in rain-related incidents, media reports said.
In its adjoining state Andhra Pradesh, the death toll stood as 10.
In one incident in Hyderabad, as many as nine members of a family were swept away in flooding waters. Their bodies were later recovered.
TV footages showed gushing waters sweeping away cars in Hyderabad, where a large number of houses in low lying areas have remained submerged in water for days, forcing the residents to spend nights on rooftops.
While the uprooted trees blocked traffic, power cuts for hours affected people's normal life in the city. Even after three days of the deluge, many residents had to continue to stay in temporary relief camps.
Considering the heavy losses suffered by people, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekar Rao announced a compensation of 500,000 Indian Rupees (around 6,820 U.S. dollars) for the victim family.
He also urged the federal government to release 1,350 crore Indian Rupees (around 184 million U.S. dollars) immediately to enable his government to do the necessary relief work.
According to rough estimates, the rains damaged 297,400 hectares of crops in the state.
On Wednesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy regarding the disaster situation in the two states. "Assured all possible support and assistance from the Centre in rescue & relief work. My thoughts are with those affected due to the heavy rains," Modi had tweeted.
Heavy rains hit Maharashtra on Wednesday, leading to water-logging in the major cities of Mumbai and Pune.
Local media reports blamed the rains for 27 deaths across the western state, due to drowning or being killed by fallen trees or electrocution.
The cities of Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur have seen heavy showers in the past two days. Most of the deaths took place in the districts where Solapur, Sangli and Pune are located, while over 20,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.
Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, saw water-logging in many areas after overnight rains on Thursday.
In Pune, four people died after being swept away in a swollen stream, while one person was still missing, said the latest media reports.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that under the influence of this cyclonic circulation, heavy rains are still expected in areas of Maharashtra and south of the Gujarat state in the next two days.
