Cyclone Murasu has made landfall on India's east coast, toppling trees, downing power poles and flooding low-lying areas in Andhra Pradesh. It is the second storm to hit the region within a week, following Cyclone Arnab.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the strong cyclone came ashore near Ongole in Prakasam district at around 1 a.m. Tuesday local time (Monday night GMT). The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rain across many districts throughout the day.
Prakhar Jain, director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters there were no reports of casualties so far. He said some trees and power poles had been uprooted.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported severe damage in Prakasam and Bapatla districts, where thousands of trees were felled, hundreds of power poles were damaged and many fishing boats were destroyed. Crops in their growing season were also affected, and many areas were left under water.
Authorities began evacuating residents on Monday and expect to move about 30,000 people to safety in Andhra Pradesh, according to Jain.
Krishnamma, a fisherman in Kothapatnam in Prakasam district, told PTI: "This is the most dangerous storm we have seen in the past 14 years." He said about 400 households in the village had been evacuated before the storm made landfall.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on X that he had spoken with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about the storm's impact. "I assured him that the Central Government will provide all necessary support," Shah wrote, adding that national and state disaster response teams were on the ground.
Cyclone Murasu formed over the Bay of Bengal, a sea that regularly produces deadly storms that make landfall on India's east coast. It appeared just days after Cyclone Arnab caused heavy damage in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Odisha.
The IMD forecast that Andhra Pradesh and southern Tamil Nadu would be worst affected. Cyclone Murasu is also bringing heavy rain to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Odisha.
