Hyderabad, September 23:

The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh continued to be grim today as heavy rains lashed coastal regions and river waters rose ominously with new areas being inundated and at least 75 people killed.

Rains in West Godavari and Krishna districts flooded new areas and led to the situation deteriorating in already inundated villages as rescue and relief operations were hampered.

Five days after a cyclonic storm hit the coast triggering heavy rains and flash floods in the Godavari and Krishna rivers and their tributaries, hundreds of villages in 10 districts still remain isolated.

Of the 75 fatalities reported so far, West Godavari district is the worst hit with 18 deaths. According to official figures, 200,000 people were rendered homeless and were housed in 473 relief camps; thousands more remain marooned in several towns and villages. But the devastation is much more than the official estimates.

The official machinery has not yet reached dozens of villages in the delta areas of West Godavari, East Godavari and Krishna districts. Breaches in tanks and canals have only added to the woes of villages, many of them located in remote tribal belt.