India orders evacuations as Cyclone Murasu nears Andhra Pradesh coast
Winds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour are forecast as the storm crosses between Nellore and Narsapur, days after Cyclone Arnab killed five people.
India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh is preparing for Cyclone Murasu, which could reach land around midnight on Monday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
The India Meteorological Department said in a Monday update that the severe cyclonic storm is expected to move northwest and cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, near the Ongole region.
Winds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, or 62 to 68 mph, are forecast between midnight Monday and the early hours of Tuesday, the department said.
The storm arrives only days after Cyclone Arnab made landfall along India's southern coast and killed five people.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials to get ready for the storm.
Naidu said estimates suggest 6,000 to 8,000 electricity poles could be damaged, which could seriously disrupt power supply across the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan posted on the social media platform X that the cyclone is expected to hit the districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna hard.
Authorities have ordered residents of low-lying areas to move to secure shelters.
The Bay of Bengal, where Andhra Pradesh lies, regularly produces cyclones, and coastal storms of this kind often bring heavy rain and the risk of flooding to nearby districts.
