A cyclone, classified as “extremely severe”, has made landfall in India’s western state of Gujarat with wind speeds of up to 160km/h (100mph).
Cyclone Tauktae had roared up India’s western coast, with at least 12 people killed and thousands evacuated.
Efforts are under way to rescue more than 400 people stranded off the coast in two commercial barges.
The cyclone comes amid a second Covid-19 wave that has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system.
India’s meteorological department announced on Monday evening that the “extremely severe cyclonic storm” had begun to make landfall in Gujarat.
Winds were gusting up to 185km/h, the weather bureau added, and storm surges of up to 4m (13ft) high were possible in some coastal districts.
Tauktae is expected to be the strongest cyclone to strike the region since 1998 and both Gujarat and its neighbouring state, Maharashtra, are on high alert.
Although Covid cases are declining in both states, the devastating effects of the nation’s second wave are still being felt.
The Indian navy has been taking part in rescue operations to save the people on both of the barges, which are off the coast of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.
Credit: bbc.com
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