Hyderabad, Oct 2  The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh turned more grim Friday as the death toll rose to 26, hundreds of people were trapped in flood waters and thousands more were rendered homeless.

The state government has sought help from the army for rescue and relief operations, especially in Kurnool district where Kurnool and Mantralayam towns are marooned. Kurnool town is about 250 km from state capital Hyderabad.

Hundreds of villages in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Krishna and Guntur districts were cut off following incessant rain over the last two days under the influence of a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.

Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers are reaching danger levels while several rivulets are overflowing, tanks have breached inundating towns and villages in the affected districts.

The flood waters from Srisailam dam across Krishna river has flooded Kurnool town while Tungabhadra waters have gushed into Mantralyam town, which is 120 km from Kurnool town. With water level on the ground rising to five feet, hundreds of people have taken shelter on rooftops in both towns.

The bus station in Mantralayam town is under water while some passengers have climbed on top of the building. Raghuvendraswamy temple has completely drowned, officials said.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, who reviewed the situation at an emergency meeting, told reporters that bad weather was hampering rescue and relief operations. "I spoke to defence minister A. K. Antony and sought help for rescue and relief," he said.

The chief minister said while six helicopters including two from Bangalore were ready to take up rescue operations, continuing rain and overcast skies were hampering the efforts. He appealed to people trapped in flood waters not to panic and to wait for help.

The situation may worsen in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Krishna and Guntur districts as the water levels in Krishna, Tungabhadra were increasing every hour following heavy rain upstream in neighbouring Karnataka.

The chief minister has asked all district collectors to remain on high alert as weather experts have forecast more rain over the next two days. According to Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, heavy rain under the impact of the low pressure area was likely in north coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema regions. (dpa)