The baby was being carried in a plastic crate.
Two men wading through neck-deep water, carrying a baby in a plastic crate – this was one of the scores of distressing scenes inflicted by the deluge in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The high-angle shot shows the infant in a yellow plastic crate placed on a foam board as the men trudged through the muddy waters in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada.
The family had to move the baby out of their house as the floodwaters turned roads into rivers and waterlogged homes in the Singh Nagar locality like almost every other area in the city.
Another video showed more than 200 cars – many of them luxury SUVs- submerged in the floodwaters in the city.
As of Tuesday, 323 trains were cancelled in Vijayawada, 170 diverted and 12 partially cancelled.
The torrential floods have killed 27 people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and damaged properties with lakhs rescued and taken to relief camps. Many industries have also suffered massive losses due to the heavy rains.
The Indian Air Forces has flown in hundreds of rescue officers and tonnes of emergency aid to both states.
Rains cause widespread destruction every year, but experts say climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he was undertaking surprise inspections in the flood-affected areas and directly taking feedback from the people through the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) mode.
“People are undergoing hardships. Snakes and scorpions are even entering upper floor residences. I am conducting IVRS and receiving information that food is not reaching some places. Rise up to the occasion and work with humanity,” said Mr Naidu.
