Cyclone Thane leaves 34 dead in TN, Pondy

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Cyclone Thane crossed TN coast near south Cuddalore at 7.17 am on Friday killing about 34 people and causing extensive damage in Cuddalore and Puducherry, which remained cut off from nearby TN districts.

While 21 people were killed in Cuddalore district, eight died in Puducherry. Chennai, Villupuram and Thiruvallur districts saw five deaths.

Mathi, 59, of Chennai drowned in an overflowing causeway. Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa immediately released Rs 150 crore for relief works.

In Puducherry, Nandakumar, 3, of Thavalakuppam died after roof of his tiled house collapsed due to heavy rain, while six others were crushed under falling branches of roadside trees.

The Puducherry government announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh to each of the victim’s families. Train services from southern TN were hit. Many trains were running late, while flights from Chennai to international destinations, including Kuwait and Malaysia, were rescheduled.

Domestic flights were, however, delayed only by about 30 to 45 minutes, as the direction of winds at Chennai airport was helpful for take-offs and landings.

“The sea was rough in Chennai, but storm surge was not significant. The rainfall was heavy in the morning but subsided after the cyclone crossed,” said Y.E.A. Raj, deputy director general of meteorology at Regional Meteorological Centre.

Cuddalore district collector V. Amuthavalli said relief works were in full swing.