21 July 2013 (Reuters) – Officials evacuate 200 villages after monsoon rains cause flooding in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Andrew Raven reports.

Floodwaters flow over a levee in Andhra Pradesh, India, 21 July 2013. Flash floods swept across southern India, washing out roads and forcing villagers from their homes. Fed by monsoon rains, the floodwaters inundated much of the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. Photo: Reuters

[TRANSCRIPT] Flash floods sweep across southern India, washing out roads and forcing villagers from their homes. Fed by monsoon rains, the floodwaters inundated much of the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. Locals did what they could to keep the water at bay, but 200 villages were evacuated. Forty towns remained cut off from the outside world. The rains also hammered the city of Warangal, making the going tough for a host of residents. There are signs of relief, though. Officials say the water levels in one major state river have started to recede. The flooding follows torrential rains that devastated a vast part of northern India last month. Officials toured the state of Uttarakhand, and saw the damage for themselves. These latest floods – dubbed a Himalayan tsunami – killed at least 580 people, and another 6,000 remain missing.

Flash floods hit India’s Andhra Pradesh