Over 2,000 rescued from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh: NDRF

Over 2,000 people have been rescued from coastal Odisha and Andhra Pradesh ravaged by tropical cyclone Phailin, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said Monday.

Over 1,100 people have been rescued from Odisha, and more than a 1,000 have been shifted to safer places in Andhra Pradesh, a statement from the NDRF said.

In addition, 910 km of roads have been cleared in Odisha and 180 km in Andhra Pradesh.

"Our team is still working hard clearing roads, removing debris from damaged buildings and cutting and removing fallen electric poles and trees," NDRF chief Krishna Chowdhary told reporters here Monday.

"Our forces are still deployed in both the states, bringing relief and succour to people," he said.

The severe tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, which made landfall Saturday night near Gopalpur in Odisha's Ganjam district, left behind a trail of destruction in several coastal districts of Odisha.

The worst hit districts include Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Gajapati.

Although damage to property was estimated at several crores of rupees, loss of human lives was minimal in comparison to the 1999 super cyclone, in which more than 10,000 people died.

Officials said the latest cyclone and flooding has caused 21 deaths so far. The low casualty figure this time was because of timely evacuation of affected areas, following accurate predictions from the weather office, officials said.