India evacuates tens of thousands as Cyclone Arnab nears landfall

India is evacuating tens of thousands of people from its eastern coast as Cyclone Arnab strengthens over the Bay of Bengal and moves towards landfall. The storm is forecast to cross the coast on Wednesday morning, with warnings in place for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Officials say the cyclone is already affecting transport and is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to a wide stretch of the eastern seaboard.

The India Meteorological Department said the very severe cyclonic storm was centred about 260km southeast of Visakhapatnam, the largest city in Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday. It said Arnab was expected to turn northwest and cross the coast by 11:30am local time on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 115-125km/h and gusts reaching 140km/h. Andhra Pradesh's disaster management authority said more than 12 million people live along the cyclone's projected path, which runs inland and north across the country.

Nearly 50,000 people had been moved to shelters from vulnerable areas of Andhra Pradesh by Monday night, according to the state disaster management authority. Its managing director, Prakhar Jain, said about 400,000 people were expected to need evacuation in total. In Odisha, authorities have also announced plans to move 48,000 people out of harm's way.

Railway authorities said at least 12 trains had been cancelled in eastern India, while services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday. The scale of the evacuation highlights the exposure of India's eastern coastline to cyclones forming in the Bay of Bengal. That body of water is one of the world's main breeding grounds for tropical storms, and coastal states in the region regularly face disruption from severe weather during cyclone season.

Visakhapatnam, which lies close to the storm's current position, is the most populous city in Andhra Pradesh and sits near the area where the cyclone is expected to make landfall. The warning also has wider implications beyond the immediate coastline. The projected path of the storm extends inland, raising the risk of flooding, transport disruption and damage to infrastructure across a large population centre.

Authorities in neighbouring Nepal have advised tourists to avoid high-altitude areas because Arnab could bring heavy rain, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayas from Thursday night to Saturday. That advisory follows a Himalayan flash flood in August that killed about 1,500 people in Nepal. What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage Arnab may cause once it reaches land and how quickly conditions will improve after landfall.

The key factors to watch are the storm's exact track, the strength of winds at landfall and whether evacuation efforts can keep pace with the number of people in vulnerable areas. Officials in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are continuing preparations as the cyclone approaches, and transport restrictions are likely to remain in place through the landfall window.

#CycloneArnab #India #AndhraPradesh #Odisha #evacuation