Cyclone Tauktae makes landfall in Gujarat; 4 dead

According to IMD, it lies about 230 km south of Ahmedabad and by the end of day is expected to weaken into a ' deep depression.'

Trucks are stranded on a flooded highway near Diu on May 18, 2021, after Cyclone Tauktae blasted ashore in Gujarat on May 17 with fierce winds and drenching rains that turned streets into rivers, disrupting the country's response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

The Cyclone Tauktae has crossed into Saurashtra in Gujarat and slightly weakened into a 'very severe cyclonic storm,' on early Tuesday.

This will mean windspeeds ranging from 115 kmph to 125 kmph reaching upto 140 kmph.

According to a morning update from the India Meteorological Department, it lies about 230 km south of Ahmedabad and by the end of day is expected to weaken into a ' deep depression.'

The Konkan coast, parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan are expected to see heavy rainfall and strong winds that are likely to damage plantations, standing crops thatched roof houses, power lines and roads.

PTI adds:

Four killed in Gujarat

Four people were killed in Gujarat as the cyclone left behind a trail of destruction along the western coast.

An official of the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said three of the casualties were reported due to falling of walls following heavy rains and strong winds. The deceased included one each from Rajkot, Valsad and Bhavnagar, one of the worst affected district by the cyclone in Gujarat.

Besides, an electric pole fell on a woman while she was sleeping in Patan town late Monday night amid strong wind, an official from Patan A-division police station said.

Several areas in the coastal regions of Gujarat plunged into darkness on Monday night due to power outage, while a large number of trees, electric poles and mobile towers got uprooted amid the high speed winds.

Temporary structures were also destroyed in the strong wind, while heavy rainfall in the affected regions caused flooding and tree falls led to blocked roads.

Army personnel and other rescue teams immediately swung into action to clear the roads by removing trees and poles, and restoring damaged structures.

Between 10 pm and midnight, several parts of the coastal districts of Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar as well as parts of Valsad district in south Gujarat received heavy rainfall, as per the SEOC data.

Una in Gir Somnath, one of the worst affected taluk, received the highest amount of rainfall at 175 mm in 12 hours till 4 am Tuesday.

During this period, Gir Gadhada in Gir Somnath district received 173 mm rainfall, Savarkundla in Amreli and Umargam in Valsad got 167 mm rain each, Palitana in Bhavnagar district 114 mm rainfall, and Amreli 102 mmrainfall.

Seventy one taluks in the state received some amount of rainfall due to the cyclone, the SEOC said.

The state government had shifted over two lakh people to safer locations before the cyclone hit the Gujarat coast.