33 killed as cyclone devastates coastline

AT LEAST 33 people died when Cyclone Thane hit coastal southern India near the former French colony of Pondicherry, officials said yesterday, forcing thousands from their homes and damaging roads, buildings and power lines.

Thane hit Tamil Nadu state on Friday with winds of up to 83mph and tidal surges of up to 5ft-high.

About 6,000 coastal villagers were forced to seek safety in relief shelters, the state’s chief minister J Jayalalitha said.

“Most of the deaths in the district were because of house collapses and electrocution,” said V Amuthavalli, an official in Cuddalore district, the worst-hit area.

At least seven people died in Pondicherry, popular with Indian and foreign tourists for its beaches and gardens.

A French foreign ministry spokesman said a French citizen was among those killed.

“France would like to express its profound solidarity with the authorities and people of India in the wake of cyclone Thane,” the spokesman said.

The foreign ministry website has also advised French people planning to travel to the area for the New Year to delay their plans for a few days, until the storm subsides and the area becomes safe to travel in again.

Trees and vegetation were uprooted and roads damaged along a 25-mile stretch of coast that includes the township of Auroville, known for its avant-garde architecture and yoga community, as well as for having some wealthy residents.

The storm quickly lost strength over land and yesterday morning India’s weather office said it was now a depression that would bring some heavy rain across the south but which would be unlikely to cause any more severe damage.

India’s cyclone season generally lasts from April to December with severe storms often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people from low-lying villages and widespread crop and property damage across the country.

Although relief shelters have been built in many rural areas, evacuations can often be slow, leaving thousands exposed to the extreme weather.

In 1999, a “super-cyclone” battered the coast of the eastern state of Orissa for 30 hours with wind speeds reaching 186mph. It caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people and left thousands more homeless.