At least 35 people were reported dead and dozens more are missing after heavy rains battered parts of southern India, destroying houses and flooding roads, officials reported on Monday.

According to the state government, flash floods induced by persistent heavy rain killed at least 32 people in Andhra Pradesh.

The rain began late last week, flooding highways and roads while entirely isolating some settlements and restricting access to food and water.

At least 30 people remain missing, officials said.
 
Officials claimed that relief efforts in Andhra Pradesh are still underway, with 16 national and state disaster teams deployed to remove stranded residents.

They stated that about 58,000 people had been relocated from their homes to 294 rescue camps around the state.

At least three people have perished in the neighboring state of Karnataka, according to disaster management official Tushar Giri Nath.

"People are mainly residing in their relatives' places. We are arranging food for them," Nath said, adding that 150 homes had been damaged by the rain.

According to India's Meteorological Department, the rainfall was caused by a cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea and low-pressure zones in the Bay of Bengal.

It is expected to travel near the coast of Tamil Nadu's southern state in the following days, according to the report.