Thousands evacuated ahead of Cyclone Arnab

Thousands of people have been evacuated along India’s eastern coast, with train services cancelled ahead of Cyclone Arnab, which is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

In neighbouring Nepal, authorities have warned tourists against travelling to high-altitude areas over fears the cyclone could trigger torrential rain, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayan region from Thursday night through Saturday.

The warnings come as the mountainous country continues to recover from a deadly flash flood in August that killed around 1,500 people.

Arnab, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, has intensified since Monday, India’s weather office said on Tuesday.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the state and neighbouring Odisha.

Nearly 50,000 people had been moved to shelters from vulnerable areas by Monday night, out of an estimated 400,000 requiring evacuation, Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters.

“Evacuation is continuing,” Jain added.

No evacuations had taken place in Odisha as of Tuesday, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, the state’s special relief commissioner, told Reuters. The state had already announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Television footage showed waves crashing onto deserted beaches and shops shuttered along affected coastal areas.

At least 12 trains were cancelled in eastern India, while rail services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, regional railway authorities said in social media posts.

The Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s major regions for tropical cyclones, leaving India’s eastern coast particularly vulnerable to coastal weather disasters.