HYDERABAD, India – Heavy rains and flooding killed at least 35 people in the southern Indian (search) state of Andhra Pradesh (search) and left nearly 100 children stranded on the roof of their school, a top government official said Saturday.
The worst affected district in the state was Kurnool where 21 people died, state Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters before leaving for an aerial survey of the affected areas.
The other deaths took place in Prakasham, Guntur and Krishna districts, Reddy said.
Most people were killed when flash floods destroyed homes and swept them away, he added.
The meteorological office in state capital Hyderabad (search) said heavy rain — which began Friday — was expected to continue across the state for the next two days.
Parts of Nandyal town in Kurnool district, 175 miles south of Hyderabad, were submerged in up to four feet of water. Nearly 100 school children were stranded on the roof of their school building, Reddy said.
More than 20,000 people in the rain-ravaged areas have been moved to over 50 relief camps, he added.
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