Cyclone Arnab: Three Killed as Storm Batters Southern India, Thousands Evacuated
At least three people have been killed after Cyclone Arnab battered India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, uprooting trees and electricity poles, damaging homes and roads, and disrupting power supply across several districts.
The storm crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early Wednesday, unleashing heavy rainfall and widespread destruction before weakening from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Two of the fatalities were caused by electrocution, while authorities have yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the third death.
A 53-year-old man died in Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday night after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped across an agricultural field channel.
In a separate incident, a 55-year-old woman was electrocuted after stepping on an exposed wire outside her home in Yellamanchili town, Anakapalli district, on Wednesday morning.
The cyclone also left a trail of destruction across coastal communities, damaging at least 31 houses and bringing down hundreds of trees and numerous electricity poles.
Inspector General of the National Disaster Response Force, Narendra Singh Bundela, said approximately 57,000 people had been moved to relief camps across Andhra Pradesh, while 38 others were evacuated from Yanam on Tuesday night as authorities intensified emergency preparations.
Several coastal districts recorded torrential rainfall, with some areas receiving more than 200 millimetres, worsening flooding and damage to critical infrastructure.
In Kakinada district, the Uppada coastal road was completely washed away, while hundreds of trees and dozens of electricity poles were reportedly brought down. Police authorities said rainfall had eased after 1 a.m., although assessment and recovery operations remained ongoing.
The storm also disrupted transport links in Alluri Sitaramaraju district, where an old bridge in Tadiguda village, Anantagiri mandal, was washed away, cutting off a nearby hamlet.
District police chief Amit Bardar said authorities were working to establish alternative access routes while restoration efforts continued.
Emergency teams remain on alert as officials assess the full extent of the damage, restore electricity and transport links, and provide assistance to displaced residents.
The immediate priorities remain public safety, the restoration of essential services and preventing further casualties from fallen power lines and damaged infrastructure.
