Severe cyclonic storm uproots trees and downs power lines, days after another cyclone battered the same region.
Cyclone Murasu made landfall on India’s eastern coast, overturning trees, collapsing electricity poles and flooding low‑lying areas in Andhra Pradesh. It is the second cyclone to hit the region within a week, following Cyclone Arnab.
The severe cyclonic storm struck near Ongole in the Prakasam district at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday (19:30 GMT on Monday), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rain across several districts throughout the day.
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, said Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, speaking to Reuters. He confirmed that trees and power poles had been uprooted.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported extensive damage in Prakasam and Bapatla districts, where thousands of trees were felled, hundreds of power poles damaged and fishing boats wrecked. Standing crops were also lost, and many areas were submerged.
Authorities began evacuations on Monday and planned to move about 30,000 people to safety in Andhra Pradesh, Jain said.
“This is the most dangerous cyclone we have witnessed in the last 14 years,” said Krishnamma, a fisherman from Kothapatnam in Prakasam district, to PTI. He noted that around 400 families from his village were moved out before the storm hit.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on X that he had spoken with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about the cyclone’s impact.
“I assured him that the Central Government will provide all kinds of assistance and support,” Shah wrote, adding that national and state disaster response teams were already on the ground.
Murasu formed over the Bay of Bengal, a region known for spawning deadly storms along India’s east coast. It follows Cyclone Arnab, which caused heavy damage in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Odisha.
The IMD forecast that Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to the south would be worst affected, with heavy rain also expected in Puducherry and Odisha.
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