Heavy rain lashed Chennai throughout Monday as Cyclone Michaung inched closer to the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts. Severe waterlogging and rain-related incidents were reported across the city in which five people died.
At least five people were killed in several rain-related incidents in Chennai following heavy rainfall and gusty winds in the city triggered by Cyclone Michaung. Flight operations at Chennai airport were affected as runway was flooded, several flights were cancelled and others diverted in view of heavy rain due to Cyclone Michaung that the IMD said intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday. It is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday morning.
Flight operations at the Chennai airport have been suspended till 9 am on Tuesday owing to severe weather conditions.
Heavy rain led to severe waterlogging and due to the increase of water levels in low-lying areas, a mugger crocodile was spotted on the road.
Heavy rain resulted in waterlogging near several metro stations across Chennai. At St Thomas metro station, water up to 4 feet had accumulated and access to enter the station had been cut off. Passengers were advised to board the metro train at Alandur.
Here are the latest updates as several states brace for Cyclone Mishaung’s impact:
Monday, the Chennai police said they received reports of five deaths across the city due to the heavy downpour. The body of an unidentified man aged around 70 years was found on a platform near the Vaidyanathan flyover. Another body of an unidentified woman aged around 60 years was found at the Foreshore Estate bus depot.
Padmanaban (50) died in Dindigul district after getting electrocuted. Another man, Ganesan (70) also got electrocuted while walking near his house in Pandiyan Nagar.
Murugan (35) was killed in Besant Nagar after a tree fell on him.
Two people had died and another was injured after a newly constructed wall collapsed in Kanathur due to heavy rain and gusty winds. The people who died were residents of Jharkhand.
The cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ which formed over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday, according to the IMD.
According to the weather department, Cyclone Michaung is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam on Monday morning with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 km/h gusting to 110 km/h.
The Tamil Nadu government declared a public holiday on Monday and Tuesday in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts. It urged private companies’ employees to ‘work from home’ in the wake of Michaung. Essential services such as milk supply and healthcare facilities would be operational.
