(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (KUNA) -- Indian authorities are on high alert as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned landfall of Cyclone Montha Tuesday evening in coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The IMD warned that Cyclonic Storm Montha is likely to cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada during Tuesday's evening or night as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph.
It said that the cyclone over west-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph during past 6 hours, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centered at 0530 hrs about 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam 270 km south-southeast of Kakinada, 340 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam, 550 km south-southwest of Gopalpur.
The authorities in Andhra Pradesh have put Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Eluru and East Godavari on high alert while Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts in the state of Odisha are bracing for the Cyclonic storm.
In Tamil Nadu coastal areas of Chennai, Tirunelveli, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Theni, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts are expected to be affected by Cyclone Montha.
Flight and train services in many coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been distrupted while the authorities declared closure of schools and educational institutions in several districts across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
Several search and rescue teams have been deployed to all the coastal areas where the weather department have declared alerts. Thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying coastal areas to safer areas. (end)
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