Day: December 7, 2023

At least 27 people are feared dead and hundreds more injured as Cyclone Michaung, the strongest storm to hit India’s southern coast in over a decade, made landfall on Thursday morning.

The cyclone, which packed winds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph), brought heavy rain, storm surges and flooding to the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone also caused widespread damage to houses, crops, power lines and communication networks.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone crossed the coast near Puducherry, about 150 km (93 miles) south of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, around 2:30 a.m. local time. The IMD said the cyclone would weaken gradually into a severe cyclonic storm in the next six hours.