Cyclone Michaung is expected to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh state around 11 a.m. local time (0530 GMT), the Indian weather office said, gusting in with winds of up to 110 kph (70 mph), Reuters reported.
The weather office said that parts of the state are expected to be pelted with more than 200 mm (8 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours, and at least 8,000 people have been evacuated.
A 4-year-old boy died in Tirupati district after a wall fell, C. Nagaraju, executive director of the state’s disaster management authority said, while eight people were killed in neighboring Tamil Nadu state, officials said.
In Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai, a major electronics and manufacturing hub, floodwaters swept away cars and submerged a runway, triggering the shutdown of one of India’s busiest airports until Tuesday morning.
Officials said that the rains and winds also snapped power lines and uprooted trees, and more than 140 trains and 40 flights were canceled in Andhra Pradesh.
In December 2015, floods in Tamil Nadu killed at least 290 people and caused widespread damage.
AMK/PR
