Cyclone batters India’s eastern coast, killing 3 and damaging homes and farmland

A powerful cyclone struck India's eastern coast, specifically Andhra Pradesh state, on Wednesday, resulting in at least three fatalities and significant damage to homes and farmland. Cyclone Arnab made landfall early on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, later downgrading to a severe cyclonic storm as it moved inland, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Two women perished in separate incidents in the port city of Visakhapatnam when they were electrocuted, while another person lost their life after a tree fell in East Godavari district. State disaster management officials reported that wind speeds reached 135 kph (84 mph) during the cyclone's peak.

The state's chief minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, informed that 14 coastal districts of the state were severely impacted, with wind and heavy rain causing extensive damage to houses, road networks, electrical poles, and power supply infrastructure. He appealed for immediate assistance from the central government. The cyclone inflicted damage on 79,000 acres of crops and destroyed numerous homes.

The Konaseema district, known for its fertile lands, bore the brunt of the cyclone's wrath, with banana and coconut plantations severely affected, and many trees and electricity poles uprooted, leading to widespread power outages. The meteorological service confirmed that the landfall process had concluded, and strong winds and heavy rainfall would persist under the cyclone's influence in Andhra Pradesh's coastal regions.