Deep depression wreaks havoc in North Andhra; heavy rain leaves four dead, many areas flooded

A wall-collapse near the Andhra University bus stop following rainfall in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. | Photo Credit: KR DEEPAK The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which crossed the north Andhra Pradesh coast close to Kalingapatnam during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, has wreaked havoc across Uttarandhra, with four persons reportedly dying of electrocution in Anakapalli and Bapatla, more than 50 trees being uprooted, electric poles knocked down, multiple landslips, road connectivity cut off to many villages and several colonies inundated under the impact of heavy rain and gales.The system brought widespread rain to Uttarandhra and parts of coastal and central Andhra Pradesh, including East Godavari, NTR, Guntur, Krishna and Palnadu districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system moved north-northwestwards and lay over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, and was very likely to weaken into a depression by Thursday evening.The Cyclone Warning Centre, Visakhapatnam, continued to forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in the region. Vamsadhara river in full spate near Narasannapeta of Srikakulam district on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The intensity of the rainfall was evident from the data recorded between 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday and 8.30 a.m. on Thursday. All 104 automatic weather stations in the district recorded rainfall, with 65 stations registering more than 64.5 mm, the IMD threshold for heavy rainfall, according to real-time data from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Andhra Pradesh (DESAP). Kapuluppada in Visakhapatnam Rural recorded the highest rainfall at 92 mm.There was little respite from the rain across Uttarandhra on Thursday. Several places in Parvathipuram Manyam district, including Balijipeta, Makkuva and Parvathipuram, recorded close to 100 mm, while Salur, Bhamini and Garugubilli received more than 60 mm. Anakapalli, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts also received widespread rain.In Visakhapatnam, house collapses, landslips and inundation were reported at several locations, particularly in semi-urban areas such as Madhurawada and Gajuwaka, causing severe inconvenience to residents and motorists, but there were no casualties.First flood warningIn Srikakulam, overflowing streams and canals disrupted road connectivity and normal life in several villages. Heavy inflows into the Nagavali, Vamsadhara, Suvarnamukhi, Jhanjavathi and the Vegavathi rivers prompted irrigation officials to issue the first flood warning for the Vamsadhara and Nagavali. Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar said the situation was under control. SDRF teams removing fallen trees on Srikakulam-Kalingapatnam route on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Vizianagaram also received heavy rain across all 27 mandals. The Thatipudi reservoir on the Gosthani river received substantial inflows.In ASR district, overflowing streams and waterfalls prompted authorities to close tourist spots such as Chaparai and Kothapalli. Boulders fell on the Chintapalli ghat road, while the Paderu–G. Madugula route was cut off after a stream overflowed near Matsyapuram. A car washed away in the overflowing Pedavagu stream following flooding of the road near Nunna mango orchards near Vijayawada on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Giri KVS Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed Collectors of affected districts to remain alert, personally monitor vulnerable areas and restore road connectivity without delay.Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana reviewed the situation with ULB Commissioners, while Home and Disaster Management Minister V. Anitha held discussions with police officials. Published - September 24, 2026 07:55 pm IST