6 killed, 12 missing as record rainfall ravages India's Telangana

NEW DELHI, July 28 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and 12 others washed away after record-breaking rainfall hit the southern Indian state of Telangana, local media reports said Friday.

Officials said a record rainfall battered several districts on Thursday with Mulugu district recording the state's highest ever rainfall of 64.98 cm in a single day.

"Six persons are feared dead in different rain-related incidents, while 12 others were washed away at different places," the state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said Friday.

On Wednesday, a cloudburst caused flooding in Mulugu and Bhupalpally districts, following which houses were submerged and roads were blocked. The flooding cut off access to several villages and rescuers used boats and helicopters to evacuate hundreds of people.

"Dozens of villages are inundated in Warangal, Mulugu, Khammam, Kothagudem, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad districts. Nearly 11,000 people are taking shelter at relief camps across the state," an official said.

Amid the incessant rainfall in Telangana for the past few days all the schools, colleges and educational institutions across the state have been closed since Wednesday.

The weather department has forecast heavy rains in Hyderabad, Jangaon, Bhupalpally, Karimnagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Siddipet, parts of Warangal and Nalgonda.