Andhra on cyclone alert as storm nears

Hyderabad: An alert was sounded in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh as cyclone Khai Muk over Bay of Bengal threatened to hit the coast on Saturday evening, officials said.

The state government directed the officials in all nine coastal districts to be on alert and take necessary steps to evacuate the people from areas near the coast and also the low-lying places.

According to Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, the storm lay centred about 230 kilometres southeast of Machilipatnam.

It is likely to move in a northwesterly direction and cross the Andhra coast between Bapatla and Kakinada, near Machilipatnam.

Officials warned that under the influence of the cyclone, heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Gale winds with a speed of 75 to 85 kilometres per hour are likely along and off Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Visakhapatnam.

The centre predicted one to two-metre high tidal waves at the time of the storm hitting the coast. The authorities have hoisted warning signals on all ports along the Andhra coast and warned fishermen against venturing into the sea.

Krishna district authorities have urged people to evacuate to areas near the coast. State-run Road Transport Corporation is operating buses to ferry people to safe places. It started raining in some parts of Krishna and Guntur districts yesterday morning.

Machilipatnam, the administrative centre of Krishna district, and Kakinada are on high alert. Andhra Pradesh has a 1,000-kilometre coast along the Bay of Bengal and is prone to floods and cyclones.