Cyclone Tauktae Rips Through Gujarat, Several Deaths Reported

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm, Tauktae hit Gujarat coast in Saurashtra between Diu and Una around 9 pm on Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the landfall process ended around midnight. As per latest reports, four people have been killed in Gujarat while many are still missing. The state government had shifted over two lakh people to safer locations much before the cyclonic storm kissed the land. The IMD this morning informed that Cyclone Tauktae weakened into a "very severe cyclonic storm". Explaining the process of landfall, the IMD officials in Gujarat said landfall started with the entry of the "forward sector of the eye of the cyclone Tauktae" into the land at the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. During the landfall, a wind speed of around 150 to 175 kilometers per hour was recorded. The cyclone brought gusty winds and heavy rains on the entire coastal belt, uprooting trees in Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. The regional meteorological centre said the cyclone would now move towards northern Gujarat and will eventually weaken. According to the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar, gusty winds coupled with heavy rain uprooted several trees and electricity towers on the coastal belt. A few local MLAs said that the cyclone winds also caused road blockage and power outages in many villages of these districts. The state government has deployed rapid restoration teams to clear roads and restore electricity.