Inclement weather prompted by Cyclone Montha churning up in the Bay of Bengal and heading towards Andhra Coast has disrupted rail and air traffic across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The deep depression over Bay of Bengal that turned into a cyclonic storm - Cyclone Montha - intensified into a 'severe' cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning and is expected to make landfall at the coastal shores of Andhra Pradesh by tonight. Follow Cyclone Montha Live Updates
Meanwhile, heavy rains lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning, while rains also lashed eight southern Odisha districts.
Also read: Red alert in several states as Cyclone Montha nears. Check full list, weather forecast
As a precautionary measure, the Odisha government has evacuated people from low-lying areas and also hilly terrain prone to landslides in the eight districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal.
32 trains cancelled in Odisha
Thirty two trains in Odisha which are passing through Visakhapatnam have been cancelled in view of Cyclone Montha which intensified into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ on Tuesday morning.
{{/usCountry}}Thirty two trains in Odisha which are passing through Visakhapatnam have been cancelled in view of Cyclone Montha which intensified into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ on Tuesday morning.
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Rain, thunderstorms likely in Chennai as Cyclone Montha inches closer to coast
“We have cancelled 32 trains passing through Visakhapatnam so that travellers are not affected much. We are trying our best to run the train up to 4 p.m. tomorrow; the local memos and other trains scheduled to depart around tomorrow have been cancelled. The list of cancelled trains has been uploaded to social media and our digital platforms... Regarding diversion, the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express has been diverted, and two trains have been short-terminated, like the Bhubaneswar-Jagadalpur Express and the Rourkela-Jagdalpur Express, which is an intercity express,” Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) at East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar, Deepak Rout told ANI.
Flight operations disrupted across Andhra Pradesh
At least 30 flights in Andhra Pradesh's Gannavaram Airport were cancelled for Tuesday, while all flight operations from Vishakhpatnam airport have also been suspended in view of the inclement weather triggered by Cyclone Montha.
Following trains have also been suspended, cancelled as per the east Coast Railway:
- Samaleswari Express from Rayagada and Jagadalpur on October 29 has been terminated because of termination at Rayagada.
- No service of Hirakhand Express from Rayagada to Jagadalpur will take place on 29 October.
- Intercity Express operation from Rayagadaand Jagadalpur on October 28 has been cancelled as well.
Cyclone Montha preparedness
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 22 teams across coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry. Twenty additional teams are kept on standby at strategic locations for immediate deployment, NDRF said adding that each team is equipped with boats, Cutting eqpt, communication eqpt, and other specialized rescue tools to carry out evacuation, relief, and restoration operations.