High alert in Orissa over depression

The Orissa government on Thursday issued high alert in six districts in the wake of a depression in the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify further and hit the coast on Friday.

The alert was issued in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts, an official at the Special Relief Commissioner's office said.

The depression, which lay centred at 430 km southeast of Gopalpur, was likely to intensify into a deep depression and move in a north, north-westward direction, meteorological office director S. Sahu said.