9 dead, thousands evacuated as Cyclone Michaung makes landfall in India

• The cyclone is expected to make landfall in the next 2 hours.
• Child among the dead amid heavy downpours hours before the crash.
• People were evacuated from seven districts in Andhra Pradesh.

At least nine people died on Tuesday, while another 9,454 have been evacuated as powerful Cyclone Michaung made landfall near Bapatla on the southern coast of Andhra Pradesh. NDTV mentionted.

According to an official, the weather system over the west-central Bay of Bengal, extending along and off the south coast of Andhra Pradesh, is moving northwards parallel to the coast and is expected to complete its passage within the next two hours. .

“Severe cyclonic storm Michaung is currently making landfall near Bapatla. It is expected to complete its shedding in the next two hours. It is expected to complete its transit by 2 pm,” an official of the Amaravati Meteorological Center said. Press Trust of India (PTI).

Gusts near the center of the severe cyclonic storm are gusting up to 110 km/h and reaching gusts of 90–100 km/h, according to the weather center.

Heavy rains earlier on Tuesday flooded highways in southern India, killing at least nine people – including a four-year-old boy – and wreaking havoc just hours before Cyclone Michaung was supposed to make landfall. Reuters mentionted.

Officials revealed that the child died in Tirupati district after a wall collapsed while eight people were killed in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, 9,454 people have been evacuated from the seven districts of Konaseema, Kakinada, Krishna, Bapatla and Prakasam to 211 relief camps, according to NDTV quoting a dataset shared by the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA).

The state government evacuated 910 people from Konaseema district, 523 from Kakinada, 1,814 from Krishna, 702 from Bapatla, 128 from Prakasam, 1,991 from Nellore and 3,386 from Tirupati.

As part of the relief efforts, 10,251 food packets and 18,068 water packets were distributed to the affected.