Eight die as Cyclone Thane lashes India's southeast coast

Chennai, Dec 30 (ANI): Lashing rains and winds bore down India's southeast coast on Friday, as Cyclone Thane lashed the coastline between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry killing at least eight persons.

Thane with wind speeds of up to 125 kilometres per hour accompanied by tidal surges of up to 1.5 metres hit Tamil Nadu, close to the former French colonial town of Puducherry on Friday morning.

Locals said they had been virtually confined to their homes for the past 15 days, ever since the news of the looming cyclone was first announced.

"For the past 15 days we have been sitting idle, ever since the announcement of cyclone Thane. Most of our boats have been damaged by the hurricane and the nets are submerged in the sand on the seashore. A net costs 50, 000 rupees and a boat costs 350,000 rupees. Everything is finished," said Shashi Kumar, a resident.

Residents in Chennai and Puducherry told reporters, that the Cyclone had uprooted trees and there had been power cut throughout the night and disruptions in phone and Internet services in some areas.

There have been no reports of casualties in the region up till now.

Hundreds of people from fishing communities along north Tamil Nadu's coast, and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, have been moved to schools set up as relief centres until the turbulent weather passes.

The locals have complained that government provided the fishermen with food supplies but not much else in terms of help or information.

"For the last three days we have been unable to commute. Our children are also sitting here in this hut. Last night the government gave us some rice to eat, after that nobody has come to enquire about our state," said another local, Selva Kumar.

India's cyclone season lasts from April to December with severe storms often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people from low-lying villages and widespread crop and property damage.

In 1999, a "super-cyclone" battered the coast of Orissa for 30 hours with wind speeds reaching 300 kmph killing atleast 10,000 people. (ANI)