CHENNAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) – At least two folks died and the runway of considered one of India’s busiest airports lay submerged attributable to torrential rain, as two southern states braced on Monday for a extreme cyclone prone to hit within the subsequent 24 hours.

Cyclone Michaung was anticipated to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning, the nation’s climate workplace stated, with sustained winds of 90-100 kph (56-62 mph), gusting to 110 kph.

Two folks had been killed when a wall collapsed due to heavy rain within the Chengalpattu district of neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, joint director of the state catastrophe administration division, C. Muthukumaran, advised Reuters.

In Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, the state’s largest metropolis and a significant electronics and manufacturing hub, vehicles had been swept away as floodwater flowed by the streets, whereas its airport, one of many busiest in India, shut down operations for the day citing extreme climate.

Media confirmed photos of grounded planes with their wheels submerged in water because the rain pelted down.

Several areas of town had been submerged in knee-deep water and there have been energy outages since Monday morning, a Reuters witness stated, evoking reminiscences of December 2015 when round 290 folks died after catastrophic floods.

Authorities in each states had been on excessive alert, evacuating hundreds of individuals dwelling in coastal areas, officers in each states stated, with warnings issued to fishermen to not enterprise out to sea.

Schools, faculties, workplaces and banks had been closed on Monday and Tuesday in not less than 4 districts of Tamil Nadu, together with Chennai, due to climate situations, a authorities discover stated.

Parts of Andhra Pradesh had been prone to get greater than 200 millimetres (8 inches) of rain over the following 24 hours, India’s climate workplace stated.

In Andhra Pradesh, authorities had evacuated practically 7,000 folks in eight coastal districts and had been making ready to evacuate a complete of 28,000, relying on the cyclone’s path and severity, a senior official within the state’s catastrophe administration division stated.

At least 800 folks have been evacuated so removed from Bapatla, the coastal city in Andhra Pradesh the place the cyclone is anticipated to make landfall on Tuesday, P Ranjit Basha, district collector of Bapatla, stated.

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