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Cyclone claims eight lives, 48 reported missing

Forty-eight fishermen were reported missing at sea, though Coast Guard Commander T S Balasubramanian said the likelihood was that they had taken shelter elsewhere. Search operations at sea for anyone in distress would continue with aerial sorties, he added.

The storm, which hit the state of Tamil Nadu and former French colony of Pondicherry on Wednesday afternoon, caused extensive damage to property and severely disrupted rail and road traffic as trees were thrown across tracks and highways.

Gales with wind speeds between 130 and 150 kilometres per hour swept through the coastal district of Cuddalore.

Principal Commissioner for Revenue Administration Chhattrahhsal Singh said the Tamil Nadu authorities had enough forewarning to take sufficient precautionary measures.

"But we did not foresee the problem of these huge trees getting uprooted in the wind," he added.

According to Singh, four of the eight victims drowned as a result of torrential rains, while two were killed by gale-force winds. Two others were electrocuted by power lines that had been cut off.

Several hundred people were rendered homeless after entire villages of mud houses collapsed in the storm, according to reports reaching the Tamil Nadu state capital Madras from the southern districts.

The state administration had set up relief centres in the affected areas and was co-ordinating relief operations on Thursday as well as clearing blocked railway tracks and roads.

According to the weather office, the storm had weakened slightly after crossing the coast but heavy rains were expected to continue for the next 48 hours.

EARLIER REPORTS
43 missing after cyclone strikes TN: Reuters
When the cyclone hit the Tamil Nadu coast
Cyclonic storm likely to hit Tamil Nadu around noon

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