Hyderabad, Sept. 20: A cyclonic storm ravaged 12 districts in Andhra Pradesh since yesterday, killing 34 people and leaving almost 50,000 homeless.

The storm that crossed the coast near Kalingapatnam yesterday flooded villages and railway tracks and uprooted trees and electric poles. Many of the victims were electrocuted as they tried to wade to safety. In the rice bowl of West Godavari, 11 people drowned.

“Rain water from breached tanks has entered housing colonies in dozens of towns, leaving hundreds of people marooned on rooftops and trees,” said Shashank Goel, state commissioner for disaster management.

He said two helicopters were trying to rescue the flood-hit. Coast Guard boats were searching for about 200 fishermen who left Kakinada and Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Some areas of the state have received extraordinary rainfall, said the director of the cyclone warning centre at Visakhapatnam, Dr V. Subramanyam. “Coonavaram in Khammam district received 48 cm (about half of what Mumbai recorded during the July 26 deluge) since Sunday.”

Kalingapatnam received 35 cm rainfall and Visakhapatnam 15 cm.

Subramanyam said the cyclonic storm had weakened into a deep depression and lay centred near Jagdalpur. “But the rainfall and squally weather with winds up to 45 km an hour will continue to lash most parts of Andhra Pradesh for another 24 hours.”

About half a kilometre of railway tracks is under water near Madhira station in Khammam, disrupting traffic to Chennai, Delhi and Calcutta.

Both the Visakhapatnam airport, its runway flooded, and sea port have been shut down.