Amid incessant rain and waterlogging in several parts of Vijayawada, a video on social media platform X, which has gone viral, showed two men carrying a baby in a box placed over a sponge paperboard in neck-deep flood waters in Singh Nagar. Netizens called the video ‘most distressing’ as several areas have been affected by an unprecedented deluge in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Baby placed in yellow plastic crate
The video showed the infant in a yellow plastic crate placed on a foam board as the men trudged through the muddy waters in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada. The affected family had to move the baby out of their house as the floodwaters turned roads into rivers and waterlogged their homes in the Singh Nagar locality.
In the meantime, another video showed more than 200 cars – many of them luxury SUVs- were submerged in the floodwaters in the city.
Several Trains Cancelled
Till Tuesday, more than 300 trains were cancelled in Vijayawada, 170 diverted and 12 partially cancelled. The torrential floods have so far killed 27 people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and damaged properties with lakhs rescued and taken to relief camps.
For the rescue operations, the National Disaster Response Force teams and local officials on Tuesday began dropping food packets, water bottles and other basic necessities for people in flood-affected areas of Vijayawada on Tuesday.
Rescue, relief ops underway
As many as six helicopters and drones have been deployed for distribution of food, which also included biscuits, fruits and milk and medicines, an official press release said.
According to a statement from the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), Ministers, IAS officers and IPS officers are engaged in relief activities ward-wise in the centrally located commercial city, where several neighbourhoods were inundated.
As part of the relief work, basic necessities are being accorded priority while 43,417 affected people have been moved to rehabilitation centres. As many as 48 NDRF and SDRF teams are extending relief while 197 medical camps have been set up.