9 dead as Cyclone Titli hits Andhra Pradesh, Odisha

TIL Desk/National/Bhubaneswar/ A very severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 150 kmph and widespread rains hit eastern India on Thursday, killing eight people in Andhra Pradesh and one in Odisha, damaging homes, uprooting trees and power lines in the two states.

Cyclone ‘Titli’ made landfall on the eastern coast early on Thursday, wreaking havoc mainly in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha’s Gajapati and Ganjam districts. Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was hit after uprooted trees blocked some sections of the road.

The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway, officials said, adding a few express trains were also diverted.Train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh also remained suspended since 10 pm Wednesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Cyclone ‘Titli’ made landfall near Palasa in Srikakulam district, southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha with an estimated maximum sustained surface wind speed of 140-150 km per hour gusting to 165 km per hour between 4.30 am and 5.30 am.