The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh in south India worsened Wednesday with reports of about 50 people killed.(Xinhua/AFP photo)

    NEW DELHI, Sep. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh in south India worsened Wednesday with reports of about 50 people killed, thousands evacuated and hundreds of villages inundated as major rivers overflow their banks, Indo-Asian News Service reported.

    While the death toll has climbed to 50 as heavy rains battered the coastal regions for the last three days, many thousands have been evacuated and many more are waiting for help in submerged villages, officials said.

    With floods in two major rivers and heavy rains continuing, authorities fear that the situation might worsen further.

    With most parts of the state receiving heavy rainfall, there were huge inflows into the Krishna river and its tributaries.

Villagers wade through the flooded street in Andhra Pradesh in south India, Sept. 21. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

    If the Krishna is flowing near the danger mark inundating more than 100 villages in Krishna and Guntur districts, the Godavari is also overflowing its banks leading to a grim situation in Khammam,East Godavari and West Godavari districts.

    Bhadrachalam town and some 300 villages in Khammam are under water while 100 villages in East and West Godavari districts have been inundated. Water levels at Dowleswaram Barrage at Rajhmundry town crossed danger mark Tuesday night. And more than 2.2 million cusecs of water has been let into the sea submerging 50 villages downstream.

    Water has entered several localities in Vijayawada city and inundated National Highway 9, which connects the main towns of Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam to Chennai and Kolkata. Thousands of vehicles have been stranded on the highway.

    The situation is no different in Guntur district where more than 50 villages have been inundated. Authorities are using boats to rescue people while two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have also been pressed into service.

    The weather office has forecast more rains in Telangana and coastal Andhra during the next 48 hours as the low pressure area was moving from Chhattisgarh to Ramagundam in Karimnagar district.Enditem