Cyclone crosses Andhra coast near Bapatla
May 20th, 2010 - 4:42 pm ICT by IANS
Hyderabad, May 20 (IANS) The severe cyclonic storm Laila crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast near Bapatla in Guntur district Thursday afternoon.
Officials said huge storm surges were seen in the Bay of Bengal when the cyclone hit the coast about 50 km from Bapatla town. Strong gales with a speed of 125 km per hour wrought havoc along and off the coast as Laila crossed the coast after changing its course repeatedly during the last three days.
Storm surge of 1.5 to 2 metres inundated the villages along the coast. Details of the damages caused by the cyclone are awaited.
According to Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, the cyclone would weaken after crossing the coast. However, it forecast heavy rains across coastal Andhra and parts of Rayalaseema and Telangana regions during the next 36 hours.
Heavy rains and strong gales continued in the coastal region for the second consecutive day, paralysing normal life and badly affecting road and rail transport.
- Heavy rains batter coastal Andhra as cyclone inches closer (Lead) - May 20, 2010
- Laila hits Andhra coast, wrecks havoc (Second Lead) - May 20, 2010
- Heavy rains lash coastal Andhra as Cyclone Laila nears the shore - May 19, 2010
- Navy rescues 11 fishermen, Andhra coast on high alert (Lead) - Dec 29, 2011
- Heavy rain, gale in south coastal Andhra - Dec 30, 2011
- Storm Laila wreaks havoc in Andhra, heads to Orissa (Roundup) - May 20, 2010
- Laila weakening as it inches closer to Andhra coast - May 20, 2010
- Cyclone Laila stationary, toll up at 27 in coastal Andhra - May 21, 2010
- Andhra to forcibly evacuate people from coastal areas (Lead) - May 19, 2010
- Tidal waves continue to slam Andhra coast - Dec 29, 2011
- Andhra hastens to protect coastal villages from Cyclone Laila - May 19, 2010
- Heavy rain hits Vizag; traffic, flights affected - May 20, 2011
- Andhra escapes cyclone fury (Lead) - Dec 30, 2011
- Respite for coastal Andhra as cyclone weakens (Second Lead) - May 21, 2010
- High tidal waves lash Andhra coast - Dec 28, 2011
Tags: bay of bengal, coastal region, cyclone, damages, guntur district, havoc, heavy rains, hyderabad, rail transport, severe cyclonic storm, storm surge, storm surges, strong gales, telangana, thursday afternoon, visakhapatnam, warning centre