Andhra escapes Cyclone Thane fury; TN, Puducherry worst hit

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The severe Cyclone Thane that crossed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Friday morning did not have much impact on Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

But atleast 20 people have lost their lives in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry.

Some parts of south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions received heavy rains in the morning but it stopped raining later.

Heavy rains accompanied by gales uprooted trees, damaged roads and crops in few areas in East Godavari and Chittoor district.

Commissioner of disaster management T. Radha said the cyclone had not caused much damage due to the huge distance between the Andhra coast and the area where it made the landfall. "There are no reports of any loss of life or property due to the cyclone," he said.

He said since there was no major threat, people were not evacuated from coastal villages or low-lying areas in any district.

The MET office has also withdrawn the cyclone warning at the ports and for the fishermen along the coast.

However, as rains are predicted over next 24 hours, the officials in south coastal and Rayalaseema regions remained on alert.

Radha said some areas in Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur and Prakasam received the rains in the morning.

There were reports of strong gales uprooting trees and damaging salt farms in the coastal villages in East Godavari district.

Officials said the situation in the sea was also returning to normal.

Chittoor, Tirupati and other towns in Chittoor district received heavy rains. The roads leading to the famous town at Tirumala were deserted.

Authorities had declared a holiday for all educational institutions in Chittoor district.

Tamil Nadu hit

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.

Near Chennai's famous Marina beach, a cargo ship ran aground with sea conditions remaining rough. Sheet of water could be seen on the service road along the beach which was lashed by tidal waves.

City Corporation officials evacuated more than 2,000 people living along the shores to safer places.

After the landfall, Thane moved further westward and weakened rapidly into a deep depression and lay centered at about 100 km west of Cuddalore, the regional weather office here said.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa sanctioned a sum of Rs 150 crore towards immediate relief works including putting back in shape the infrastructure which has taken a hit and directing four of her cabinet colleagues to visit affected districts to oversee relief work.