Deadly Rains Plague North, South India; 76 Reported Dead So Far

LUCKNOW, India – Heavy rains and flooding have killed 10 more people in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh over the last 24 hours taking the death toll there to 45, a top government official said Saturday. Nearly 100 school children were stuck on a roof, and, in the south, 31 died from flash floods.

Parts of Nandyal town in Kurnool district, 175 miles south of Hyderabad (search), were submerged in up to 4 feet of water and nearly 100 school children were stranded on the roof of their school building, the chief minister said.

The worst affected area was the Kurnool district where 21 people have died, the state Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters before leaving for an aerial survey of the region.

The other deaths occurred in Prakasham, Guntur and Krishna districts, Reddy said.

The deaths were caused when flash floods destroyed homes and swept people away, he added.

In the northern Indian state of Utter Pradesh, 12 members of a wedding party were among 31 feared drowned overnight in two separate boat accidents, officials said on Saturday.

"Two passenger boats sank killing 31 people in two different incidents," Anupam Shashank, a senior government official told the Associated Press from the state capital Lucknow. He said only five bodies had been recovered.

In the first incident, 19 people drowned when an overcrowded boat carrying 25 people sank midstream in the Yamuna river in Kaushambhi district, 15 miles southeast of Lucknow.

Six people swam to safety but the others drowned, Shashank said.

In the second incident a boat carrying 17 members of a wedding party sank in the Ganges river near Mirzapur, 200 miles southeast of Lucknow.

"Twelve people are feared dead and five swam to safety," said Deputy Inspector General S.N. Sabat. "Initial reports suggest that the boat was overloaded. Besides people, it was carrying marriage gifts, including a motorcycle and a double bed."

The bride and groom survived as they were traveling in another boat, he said.

Both accidents took place late Friday.

Boat accidents are common in impoverished Uttar Pradesh state. Boats used to ferry passengers are generally poorly maintained and people seldom use life jackets.