A substantially weakened cyclone Nilam caused four deaths as it struck coastal Tamil Nadu on Wednesday evening.
While the authorities had forecast wind speed reaching 110 kmph, the cyclone made a landfall close to Mahabalipuram around 4.30pm with a maximum speed of 65-75 kmph, sparing large scale destruction.
A crew member of an oil tanker that ran aground off Chennai, died and six others went missing when 22 of the 37-strong crew boarded a lifeboat.
Sixteen of them were rescued and rushed to a hospital, where one sailor was pronounced dead. Three others are said to be in a serious condition.
The Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for the remaining six crew members of Pratibha Cauvery.
One person died due to a wall collapse in Vilupuram after heavy rain and another was electrocuted in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvannamalai.
In Puducherry, a 46-year-old man drowned after he slipped into the rough sea when he, along with his friends, went to the pier to see the sea conditions.
Atindranath Swain, commissioner, revenue and administration, Tamil Nadu, said, "The impact was less than we had feared."
{{/usCountry}}Atindranath Swain, commissioner, revenue and administration, Tamil Nadu, said, "The impact was less than we had feared."
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