Picture Courtesy: TOI

After days of heavy rains, today authorities in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India, stated that 17 people have died and dozens are reportedly missing. The state has seen heavy rainfall since Thursday which has led to massive floods in at least five districts.

Yesterday, three people were killed when a building collapsed due to heavy rains. Ten people trapped under the debris were rescued, but two are still missing.

Authorities have warned that the death toll could rise as the heavy rains continue. Teams of the National Disaster Relief Force have been deployed to worst-hit and vulnerable districts, and local authorities have rescued and evacuated hundreds of families to shelter homes.

In one of the hardest-hit districts in the State, Kadapa, rains, and floods forced officials to close down the local airport until Thursday. Heavy rains are not unusual during this time of the year in India, however, this year has seen prolonged monsoon with experts blaming climate change for that.

Southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also been affected by heavy rainfall. 28 people died last month in Kerala due to landslides caused by heavy rains.

Source: CBC