Photos: Scenes from Cyclone Michaung as it lashes India's south, 17 killed in floods

The flooding in Chennai following heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Michaung have claimed 17 lives so far, officials said on Tuesday. The Greater Chennai police stated that 17 people have been reported dead in various incidents due to floods in the city.

The Indian weather office said Michaung, which had weakened to 'cyclonic storm intensity' by late Tuesday, implying wind speeds of 65-75 kph, was likely to maintain this strength over the next 6 hours. Above: People use a boat to shift to a safer place from a flooded area after heavy rainfall.

Up to 200 mm (8 inches) of rain is expected in Andhra Pradesh state, where it made landfall, over the next 24 hours. Torrential rains sent tall waves crashing into coastal towns of southern states over the last two days as the cyclone approached, submerging roads and spurring the cancellation of train services and flights. Above: People wade along a flooded street in Chennai.

People wade along a flooded street in Chennai on December 5, 2023, following intense rains after Cyclone Michaung made a landfall. Chest-high water surged down the streets of India's southern city Chennai on December 5, with eight people killed in intense floods as Cyclone Michaung made landfall on the southeast coast.

The cyclone made landfall near the town of Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh state, the India Meteorological Department said, adding on Tuesday evening on the X platform that the landfall process was completed. Officials from the state said no casualties were reported on Tuesday. More than 140 trains and 40 flights were cancelled in the state, and at least 8,000 people were evacuated, they said. Above: Residents with a dog sit on makeshift raft as they are evacuated from a flooded area.

In Tamil Nadu's capital city Chennai, a major electronics and manufacturing hub, residents were seen wading through waist-deep floodwaters, which also swept away cars. For Chennai residents, the floods triggered memories of similar rains eight years ago which killed 290 people, with some activists questioning whether the city's infrastructure could handle extreme weather events. Above: People wade along a flooded street in Chennai.

Residents assist an eldery woman to sit on a boat as she is evacuated from her home at a flooded area in Chennai on December 5, 2023.

The city's airport - one of the busiest in the country - was closed on Monday after a runway was submerged and reopened at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the federal civil aviation ministry said. Above: Volunteers evacuate a woman on a makeshift raft from a flooded area in Chennai.

Taiwan's Foxconn and Pegatron halted Apple iPhone production at their facilities near Chennai due to the heavy rains, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Above: A car is seen partially submerged in a flooded street in Chennai.