viernes, 15 de noviembre de 2013

18 people killed in eastern India flooding - Press TV

Torrential rains in India's eastern coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh made rivers spill their banks and forced thousands to leave their homes.

The floods come two weeks after India's most severe cyclone in more than a decade hit the coastline.

"The latest that we know is that 18 have died in total," in both states, Tripti Parule, spokeswoman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said on Saturday.

Local media, however, reported that at least 30 people died in the floods, which have also disrupted train services in both states.

Parule further said that 30 rescue teams, already engaged in state-wide relief operations to repair homes and restore services struck by cyclone Phailin, have been sent to the flood zone to provide assistance.

"The administration was already geared up for this situation after cyclone Phailin. The provision of dry food, water packets, medicines... all of it is being taken care of by the states," said Parule.

Cyclone Phailin, with a wind speed of nearly 200 kilometers per hour, made landfall in Odisha at around 9.30 p.m. local time on October 12.

Indian authorities said on October 13 that an estimated one million people had been displaced due to the natural disaster - the largest figure in the Indian history.

At least 22 people lost their lives in Odisha and one died in Andhra Pradesh as a result of the fatal cyclone.

In 1999, a cyclone in the same region left more than 8,000 people dead.

About 650,000 people were evacuated and shifted in Andhra Pradesh in 1990 due to a cyclone. In 2009, at least 550,000 people were also moved for flooding in the same state.

MR/HN

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