Tropical Cyclone Thane leaves at least 19 dead in Tamil Nadu

Tropical Cyclone Thane leaves at least 19 dead in Tamil Nadu

Chennai/ Puducherry: Cyclone Thane hit the coast of Tamil Nadu on Friday, making landfall between Puducherry and Cuddalore that has resulted in the death of 19 people so far. While 12 people have been reported dead in Cuddalore, seven have died in Puducherry.

Severe Cyclone Thane on Friday morning hit the coast of Tamil Nadu. ” Cyclone Thane, packing wind speed of 140 kmph, made landfall on the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil and Puducherry Friday morning making landfall between Puducherry and Cuddalore and causing heavy rainfall”, officials of IMD told Agencies.

Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu was the most affected, with damaged roads rendering it difficult for rescue teams including those from National Disaster Response Force and Fire and Rescue Services to reach the cyclone hit fishing hamlets.

The storm crossed the coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry bringing in its wake torrential rains accompanied by gale that uprooted hundreds of trees and knocked electric poles, snapping power supply in several areas.

The tiny Puducherry was cut off from neighbouring districts in Tamil Nadu with the uprooted trees blocking road traffic. The cyclone also disrupted rail and air operations with services cancelled or rescheduled. Flights to international destinations including the middle-east and Malaysia from Chennai were cancelled following the inclement weather. Southern Railway partially cancelled and rescheduled most of the trains between Chennai and southern districts.

Eight teams of National Disaster Management Force have been sent to the coastal districts. Two of these teams will be in Andhra Pradesh, rest six in Tamil Nadu in view of the cyclone warning. Another 15,000 men of the NDRF are on alert.Authorities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are on high alert to manage the emerging situation.

Schools buildings in Chennai have been turned into shelter homes and the entire city is on high alert. There is power outage in many parts of Puducherry and adjoining districts.



sources:
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