Thousands evacuated in India as Cyclone Arnab looms

Thousands of people have been evacuated from India's east coast and some trains have been cancelled, local authorities said on Tuesday, October 27. This happened a day before the cyclone was supposed to hit the land, which brought with it gusty wind and heavy rains, writes sb.by.

In neighboring Nepal, authorities have warned tourists against traveling to high-altitude areas as they fear Cyclone Arnab could trigger heavy rains, snowstorms and avalanches overnight from Thursday to Saturday.

“The danger is looming as the mountainous terrain recovers from the deadly floods that occurred in August that killed about 1,500 people,” the report said.

India's Meteorological Authority said on Tuesday the storm that formed over the Bay of Bengal had intensified since Monday.

It is expected to reach shore in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning, bringing strong winds and intense rains to parts of the region, as well as to the neighboring state of Odisha.

According to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, about 50,000 people were evacuated to shelters from vulnerable areas by Monday evening, out of 400,000 estimated to need evacuation.