Cyclone Tuaktae: One killed and two injured in Maharashtra's Raigad

One killed and two injured in Raigad due to CycloneTaukate. 8,383 people have been shifted to a safer place, says Office of District Collector, Raigad.

Coast Guard rescues 12 fishermen off Kochi coast

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday said it rescued 12 fishermen stranded around 35 nautical miles off the Kochi coast amid rough seas due to the incoming Cyclone Tauktae on the night of May 16.

"Indian fishing boat Jesus stranded 35 nautical miles off Kochi. ICG ship Aryaman rescued the boat with 12 crew. Boat taken under tow by the ICG ship braving rough seas and brought to Kochi on May 16 night. All crew safe and healthy," the ICG said on Twitter.

Mumbai Airport shut from 11 am to 4 pm due to cyclone alert

The operations at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will remain suspended from 11 am till 4 pm on Monday in view of the cyclone alert, the private airport has notified.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Mumbai, warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as cyclone Tuaktae is likely to pass close to the Mumbai coast.

“The operations at Mumbai Airport need to be closed from 11 am local time to 4 pm local time of May 17,” CSMIA said in a notification.

Maharashtra: IMD issues Red alert for Raigad, orange alert for Mumbai, Palghar, Thane

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday took stock of the situation in Mumbai, Thane and other coastal districts of the state in the wake of the cyclonic storm Tauktae. According to an official statement, 12,420 people living in coastal stretches of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Raigad districts have been shifted to safer places. These include 8,380 people in Raigad, 3,896 in Ratnagiri and 144 in Sindhudurg.

A red alert has been issued for Raigad district, while an orange alert has been issued for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, it said. A red alert is sounded for rainfall of over 20 cm and an orange alert is for rain between 6 cm and 20 cm.

Gujarat administration shifts over 1 lakh people to safer areas

The Gujarat administration shifted over one lakh people living in coastal areas of 17 districts to safer places till late Sunday night, and the work resumed on Monday morning, the government said in a release. Cyclone Tauktae, which has now intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm", is likely to reach Gujarat coast by Monday evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm, the had IMD said.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, in the 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Monday, 84 talukas of 21 districts of Gujarat received light rainfall, mainly caused due to the cyclonic disturbances. Six talukas received over one inch rainfall, it said.

The state government in a release said over one lakh people were shifted to safer temporary shelters from 655 vulnerable villages in 17 districts till late Monday night. A number of teams of departments like forest, roads and buildings, health, revenue and electricity have been deployed to immediately address the damage caused due to the cyclone, it said.

Besides, 41 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed along with 10 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Three teams of the NDRF have been kept in reserve, the release said.

Coast Guard rescues 12 fishermen off Kochi coast

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday said it rescued 12 fishermen stranded around 35 nautical miles off the Kochi coast amid rough seas due to the incoming Cyclone Tauktae on the night of May 16. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Tauktae has turned into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm" and is expected to hit the Gujarat coast by the evening.

"Indian fishing boat Jesus stranded 35 nautical miles off Kochi. ICG ship Aryaman rescued the boat with 12 crew. Boat taken under tow by the ICG ship braving rough seas and brought to Kochi on May 16 night. All crew safe and healthy," the ICG said on Twitter.

Delhi airport to shut operations at T2 terminal from Monday midnight

The Delhi international airport will shut down its T2 terminal from Monday midnight as the number of flights have reduced significantly due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said.

From Monday midnight, all flights will be handled at the T3 terminal only, they stated.

'Tuaktae' now very severe cyclonic storm, to reach Gujarat coast

The severe cyclonic storm 'Tauktae' over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and is expected to reach the Gujarat coast Monday evening, the India Meteorological Department said.

Around 1.5 lakh people are being shifted from low- lying coastal areas in Gujarat while 54 teams of the NDRF and SDRF remained deployed after IMD's warning that Tauktae will reach the state coast on Monday evening and cross it Tuesday morning.

"The cyclonic storm "Tauktae" has further intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) at 000 UTC and lay centred at 18.5N/71.5E, with a ragged eye," the IMD tweeted Monday morning.

"Very Severe Cyclonic Storm "Tauktae" over the East- central Arabian Sea intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm: Cyclone Warning & post-landfall outlook for Gujarat & Diu coasts (Red message)," the IMD tweeted.

Skymet, a private company that provides weather forecast and solutions said landfall is likely between Gujarat's Mahuva and Porbandar areas and close to Diu.

"A swathe of 100 km on either side of the anticipated strike always remains vulnerable," it said.

Gujarat additional chief secretary Pankaj Kumar said 25,000 people have already been moved to safer places.

In Mumbai, five temporary shelters each have been put up in 24 civic wards of the metropolis so that citizens can be shifted there if necessary.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as Tauktae is likely to pass close to the Mumbai coast.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed in the western suburbs of Mumbai have been put on alert. Teams of the Indian Navy are also kept on standby, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, two persons died and another was injured after a tree fells on a hut, an official said. It wasn't clear if the incident was directly related to the severity of the cyclonic storm.