Death toll in south India floods rises to 45: Officials

HYDERABAD: The death toll from floods in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has reached 45, officials said on Wednesday, amid continuing efforts to provide relief to marooned villagers.

Downpours triggered by a cyclone that hit the coast further south last week have left hundreds of villages inundated and nearly 70,000 people in relief camps set up across the state for stranded people.

At least 45 people have died and 1,300 houses have been damaged by the flooding, a state government official who declined to be named told AFP.

Although flood water was receding, remote villages in the Godavari region and two other coastal districts continued to reel from the devastating rains.

Officials said they were trying to provide relief to flooded villages and restore rail and road traffic.

Standing paddy and cotton crops also suffered extensive damage due to the unseasonal rainfall.

State chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday visited flood-hit areas and vowed to provide help for the victims, especially farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked Reddy to "constantly monitor the situation", a statement from his office said.

In September this year two million people were forced to flee their homes in the northeastern state of Assam after floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains.