Indian authorities are reportedly evacuating tens of thousands of residents from the country's eastern coastline as a strengthening tropical cyclone, designated as Arnab, bears down on vulnerable coastal states. The storm has allegedly intensified significantly since Monday and is widely expected to make landfall by Wednesday morning, posing a severe threat to densely populated regions.
The India Meteorological Department has issued urgent warnings for the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, claiming that the "very severe" cyclonic system was centered approximately 260 kilometers southeast of Visakhapatnam, the most populous port city in Andhra Pradesh. Forecasters allege that Arnab will shift northwestward and cross the coastline with sustained winds reaching up to 125 km/h and destructive gusts peaking at 140 km/h. *
The system reportedly originated over the Bay of Bengal, a notorious breeding ground for tropical disturbances that frequently devastate India's eastern seaboard. According to the disaster management authority in Andhra Pradesh, more than 12 million people reside directly along the storm's projected inland path. Prakhar Jain, the authority's managing director, claimed that nearly 50,000 individuals had already been relocated to shelters by Monday night out of an estimated 400,000 people requiring evacuation.
Regional transportation networks have also suffered major disruptions, with railway authorities announcing the cancellation of at least 12 trains across eastern India and the suspension of services along 53 southern coastal routes for Tuesday and Wednesday. In neighboring Odisha, officials have reportedly outlined plans to move an additional 48,000 people out of harm's way.
Furthermore, authorities in Nepal have issued advisories strongly urging tourists to avoid high-altitude areas amid unverified concerns that the cyclone could purportedly trigger heavy rainfall, severe snowstorms, and dangerous avalanches across the Himalayas from Thursday night through Saturday, following a previous seasonal disaster that allegedly claimed numerous lives.
Source: www.aljazeera.com