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Cyclone Tauktae latest updates: 56 trains cancelled as storm moves towards Gujarat, PM Modi holds reviews meet
Latest cyclone Tauktae update: The India Meterological Department has warned that the cyclonic storm is moving towards the coast of Gujarat and Union Territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The Gujarat government is on guard till the next week as cyclone Tauktae is headed towards the state, forcing Western Railways to cancel 56 trains in a precautionary measure.
The India Meteorological Department has warned that the cyclonic storm is moving towards the coast of Gujarat and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. However, Mumbai falling on the western coast and facing most cyclonic storms will not be affected except for gusty winds and showers, IMD said.
By late Saturday night, the storm is likely to grow into a "very severe cyclonic storm", the weather body said.
Cyclonic storm Tauktae had intensified and was heading towards the coast of Gujarat and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday evening.
It would not affect Mumbai but could bring gusty winds and showers to the city, it said.
Also read | Cyclone Tauktae likely to intensify into ‘very severe storm’, to cross Gujarat coast on May 18
Centre has rushed teams of the National Disaster Response Force which will be stationed at Gir Somnath, Amreli, Porbandar, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Kutch, Morbi, Surat, Gandhinagar, Valsad, Bhavnagar, Navsari, Bharuch and Junagarh districts of Gujarat, an NDRF spokesperson said.
Here are the latest updates:
56 trains cancelled in Gujarat as cyclone Tauktae approaches
With cyclone Tauktaeheading towards Gujarat coast, the Western Railway (WR) on Saturday cancelled 56 trains till May 21 as a precaution.
Some trains were short terminated, which means their journey will end before the final destination.
All cancelled trains originate or terminate in cities in Saurashtra region.
Three trains were cancelled on May 15, 11 on May 16, 22 on May 17, 13 on May 18, five on May 19, and one each on May 20 and 21, the WR said in a release.
Most of these trains terminate in cities like Bhuj, Porbandar, Gandhidham, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Veraval and Okha.
MHA calls for judicious use of rail and road services
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday issued an advisory and called for judicious use of rail and road services in view of the cyclone.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said hospitals in coastal areas have been instructed to ensure that treatment of critical patients is not disrupted in case of a power outage or other adverse events.
Coast Guard rescues three fishermen stranded in marooned boat in Kannur
In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard rescued three fishermen stranded in a marooned Indian fishing boat on the night of May 14 in the Cyclone Tauktae ravaged sea off Kannur.
Arun (36), S Francis (58) and Surender (64) were stranded in the fishing vessel Badhriya from Thalessary harbour in the rough sea at around 10.20 pm on Friday.
They were rescued by Coast Guard Ship Vikram.
Also read: India closely monitoring Cyclone Tauktae, no decision yet on shutting airports
PM reviews preparedness on cyclone Tauktae, asks officials to take all measures to ensure safe evacuation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the preparedness of states, central ministries and agencies concerned to deal with the situation arising out of cyclone Tauktae and asked them to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated.
He also called for ensuring maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health and drinking and their immediate restoration in the event of damages caused to them, a statement said.
India's premier port suspends inward shipping movement amid threat
Country's premier container port JNPT on Saturday said it has planned to sail out all the vessels at berth by 23.00 pm on May 15 while all inward shipping movements will remain suspended till easing of weather conditions as part of various mitigating following a cyclone warning.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, in a release, also said it has opened a control room for three days, starting May 15. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued cyclone warning for the area and JNPT is likely to experience heavy weather and sustained high wind speeds due to which various steps are being taken to mitigate the impact of the cyclone on the port property and ships in JNPT waters, the government-owned port operator said.
Also read: As Tauktae approaches west coast, know more about the storm and how to track it
Torrential rains batter Kerala
Torrential rains accompanied by fierce winds and high tidal waves wreaked havoc and claimed two lives in Kerala, as it lashed the state since last night forcing the government to shift hundreds of families to relief camps,sources said on Saturday.
The southernmost district, Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in the northern tip, witnessed widespread uprooting of trees, water-logging and disruption of power supply since last night.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) issued a flood warning to the state in the wake of rising water level in rivers like Manimala and Achankovil.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the impact of cyclone Tauktae was expected to last the next 24 hours in the state.
IAF keeps 16 transport aircraft, 18 helicopters ready as preparation for Cyclone Tauktae
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has kept 16 transport aircraft and 18 helicopters operation ready in peninsular India as a preparation for the Cyclone Tauktae. The cyclone is expected to cause very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall along the western coast of India in the next few days.
127 personnel along with 11 tonnes of cargo have been airlifted from Bhatinda to Jamnagar in IL-76 aircraft. Meanwhile, one C-130 aircraft has airlifted 25 personnel and 12.3 tonnes of cargo from Bhatinda to Rajkot, and the other two C-130 aircraft have airlifted 126 personnel and 14 tonnes of cargo from Bhubaneswar to Jamnagar.
