TRICHY: Severe cyclonic storm
Gaja
that crossed
Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry coast between
Nagapattinam
and Vedaranniyam in the early hours of Friday -- between 12.30am and 2.30am -- with a wind speed of 100-110kmph gusting to 120kmph brought heavy rain in the coastal districts, said the India Meteorological Department.
Cyclone claimed more than 10 lives in Tamil Nadu. Four youths of a family died after a mud house collapsed at Sivakollai near Pattukottai in Thanjavur district in the early hours on Friday. Three women were also injured in the incident. A total of seven deaths were reported from Thanjavur.
At least six deaths were reported from Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts -- one person was electrocuted while wall collapse clamed five other lives.
One death each was reported from Sivaganga district and Trichy district. In Sivaganga district, a man, identified as Muthukumaran,56, was killed when a wall collapsed on him. A 64-year-old autorickshaw driver was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle near Navalpattu in Trichy.
The cyclone caused damage to properties, particularly in Vedharanyam in Nagapattinam district. The cyclone wreaked havoc in Pudukkottai district too. The strong wind damaged several thatched houses and uprooted many trees and electric poles in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts.
ALSO READ: Cyclone Gaja live updates: Cyclonic storm makes landfall; more than 76,000 evacuatedPower supply was affected in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai, Karaikal, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Trichy districts. A total of 102 sub stations were affected in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Puducherry. It might take at least two days for power supply to be restored in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts, officials said.
Traffic was affected on the Nagore-Nagapattinam road as several uprooted trees lay on the road. They were being removed.
Mobile communication network was disrupted in Nagapattinam district.
Seawater inundated many fishing hamlets, including Keechankuppam and Akkaraipettai, in Nagapattinam district.
Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Trichy and Ariyalur districts have also received moderate to heavy rain.
A holiday has been announced for schools and colleges in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Trichy, Ariyalur, Madurai, Theni Karur, Erode, Dindigul districts on Friday.
A Sharjah - Trichy Air India Express flight scheduled to arrive Trichy was diverted to Kochi due to bad weather.
Trichy-Erode and Trichy-Karur passenger trains were stopped midway due to power interruption.
(With inputs from B Sivakumar, Gokul R and Padmini Sivarajah)
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