Cyclone Hudhud toll rises to 40 in Andhra

The death toll in the severe cyclonic storm Hudhud which battered north coastal Andhra last Sunday climbed to 40, officials said Saturday.

A week after the disaster, the authorities are were busy assessing damages in four districts of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and East Godavari. Visakhapatnam, which bore the brunt of the cyclone, accounted for 27 deaths followed by Vijayanagaram (12). One death was reported from Srikakulam.

With the relief workers reaching remote areas cut-off by the devastating cyclone, the department of disaster management of Andhra Pradesh Saturday revised the losses.

According to an official statement, 41,269 houses were damaged by the cyclone which affected 1,837 villages, a steep increase from 350 villages estimated earlier.

Hudhud, which knocked down trees, electricity and communication towers and damaged roads, hit more than 17.41 lakh families. Electricity and communication services are yet to be restored fully while rescue workers are battling to reach interior areas.

The natural calamity also killed nearly 3,000 animals and 24.43 lakh poultry. Crops over 1.80 lakh hectares were also damaged.