Cyclone Ockhi leaves 8 dead in Tamil Nadu, Kerala; schools closed in Chennai


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Chennai: At least eight people have lost their lives and more than 80 fishermen and 50 boats have gone missing after Cyclonic storm ‘Ockhi‘ lashed the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala with torrential rainfall and gusty winds.


The Chennai collector has declared a holiday for schools across the city in view of the heavy rainfall warning from the MeT department.


Besides Chennai, the authorities have closed schools Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur and Thiruvarur for the day.  


The authorities in these state have taken several precautionary measures which include shutting down of school and colleges and issuing an advisory to people asking them to stay inside their houses.


While a high alert has already been sounded and the relief and rescue teams have been asked to be prepared to meet any eventuality, the fishermen have been advised not to venture into the high sea.


Indian Navy has dispatched three ships and two aircraft to locate six fishing boats and a Maritime Engineering vessel that went missing near Vizhinjam due to cyclonic conditions here.


The Navy is also on standby for relief and rescue operations as southern districts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu brace for Cyclone Ockhi.


5 Navy ships have been deployed from Kochi, two ships are on standby in Lakshadweep. Two ships each belonging to the Indian Coast Guard have been deployed from Kochi and Tuticorin. 


One P8i aircraft, Navy Dornier and Coast Guard Dornier have also been pressed into search and rescue work. Besides, Navy helicopter with divers are also on standby, reported ANI.


The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also issued a list of do’s and dont’s for people in the most-affected areas and asked them not to panic in during such situations. The agency also asked people to listen to radio, watch television for weather updates and have an emergency kit ready. 



According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Cyclone Ockhi is now heading for Lakshadweep with a speed of nearly 130 km/hour and is unlikely to make landfall in India.


Several trees were uprooted and power lines were snapped and settlements close to the sea were severely damaged due to the Cyclonic storm Ockhi in Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu.


According to ANI, the cyclone claimed the lives of at least four people in Kerala alone.


(In Pics: Cyclone Ockhi creates havoc)


On Thursday, a man in an autorickshaw died in Kollam after a tree fell on the three-wheeler, two others were electrocuted in Trivandrum and a woman died after a tree fell on her house in Vizhinjam due to the cyclone.


The IMD had earlier issued a ”heavy to very heavy rainfall” warning in both the states.


The depression in Southwest Bay of Bengal had snowballed into the cyclonic storm ‘Ockhi’, it said.


The deadly storm has killed at least seven people in neighbouring Sri Lanka and affected the lives of nearly 20,000 people. 

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