Two persons were killed and four fishermen injured as heavy rains under the influence of a cyclone battered coastal Tamil Nadu while a high alert was sounded in Andhra Pradesh which is likely to be hit by the windstorm on Thursday morning.
Normal life was thrown into disarray in several parts of Tamil Nadu as widespread rains and strong winds, triggered by cyclonic storm “Laila”, which lay centred in the Bay of Bengal, lashed these areas.
People waded through knee-deep water as many parts of Chennai and its suburbs were inundated with road traffic moving at snail’s peace.
Gales uprooted trees at many places while over 100 anchored boats were blown away by winds, packing speed of 90-km per hour.
A 52-year-old fisherman drowned in rough seas at Tirupalakudi while a 24-year-old woman, an employee in a software firm, was electrocuted in surburban Velachery.
Coastal areas of Chennai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur were experiencing heavy rains since Tuesday night.
Four fishermen were injured when five boats capsized in Cuddalore district, officials said.
Laila, which lay centred 190-km east-northeast of Chennai, is likely to intensify further and will make a landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
A high alert has been sounded in coastal regions of the state with focus on evacuation of people from low-lying areas of Visakhapatnam, Krishna and West and East Godavari districts, the officials said.
Helicopters and boats have been kept ready to meet any eventuality as chief minister K. Rosaiah took stock of the situation at a high-level meeting in Hyderabad.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture out into rough seas and people living in coastal areas told to move to safer places.
The cyclonic storm is likely to trigger heavy rains at some places in south and north Orissa by Thursday.
—PTI