December 18, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1424

HYDERABAD (India) Dec 17: At least 49 people died and millions of dollars worth of crop damaged when a cyclone ripped through rice-growing villages on India’s southeastern coast, officials said Wednesday.

Twenty-four people have died of illness in Andhra Pradesh state’s Krishna district since the winds touching 120 kilometres an hour hit late Monday, district collector Prabhakar Reddy told AFP.

“Most of the victims are people above the age of 50 who were exposed to cold winds and rains following the cyclone,” Reddy said. Local officials reported 24 more deaths in the adjoining Andhra Pradesh districts of Guntur and West Godavari.—AFP