A powerful cyclone has battered India’s southeast coast, killing more than 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Officials are scrambling to get food and water to people sheltering in relief camps. The death toll from Cyclone Gaja rose to 33 on Sunday, authorities in India said, as emergency services rushed to deliver vital supplies to people sheltering in more than 400 state-run camps.
The powerful storm barreled across parts of Tamil Nadu state on Friday, bringing heavy rains and winds that reached 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour.
“So far 20 men, 11 women, and two children have died due to the cyclone,” an official at the state disaster management authority said, adding that nearly 180,000 people were being housed in shelters.
Widespread damage
The state’s chief minister, Edappadi Palaniswami, said most of the deaths were caused by flooding, homes collapsing and electrocution. The storm caused massive damage to homes and roads, and uprooted 30,000 electricity poles and more than 100,000 trees, he added.
Hundreds of emergency workers, as well as a navy helicopter and two ships, were deployed to help with the cleanup and deliver food and drinking water to those in shelters.
Forecasts said Gaja would continue to move west into neighboring Kerala before reaching the Arabian Sea. It is the second major storm to strike in as many months — in October, Cyclone Titli struck the state of Orissa, killing at least two people.
Last year, Cyclone Ockhi killed more than 200 people in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states.
nm/amp (AFP, AP)
