Photos: Seven dead in Guntur floods, schools shut in Hyderabad as Met department predicts more rain
NDRF and Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed for rescue operations in the state.
At least seven people died and two are missing after heavy rain triggered floods in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh since Thursday, reported ANI. Schools and colleges were asked to remain shut on Friday after the weather department predicted more rain over the next 48 hours in and around Hyderabad.
Volunteers of the National Disaster Response Force and Rapid Action Force are carrying out rescue operations. Several new areas of the city have gone under water, prompting the state government to seek the army's help for rescue operations, reported The Times of India. "We sought the Army's help because they have the required equipment and skill to deal with natural calamities like floods," said Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner of Information Technology Surendra Mohan.
Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa, who announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the victims' families, has asked officials to be on "high alert".
Local residents took to social media and are offering help to one another. While some offered to recharge phones of people stuck in the flood, others gave weather and traffic updates on Twitter. The Hyderabad Police also informed people about waterlogging and other problems via social media.
The city has been battling the ongoing flood-like situation: