Cyclone Arnab nears the Andhra coast, leading to the cancellation of 21 flights at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports on Tuesday. Officials said the storm sits 170 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam. With landfall expected by Wednesday forenoon, authorities started evacuations and precautionary measures to keep people safe as winds get stronger.
Andhra Pradesh has been placed on high alert as at least 21 flights were cancelled at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports on Tuesday with a very severe cyclonic storm approaching the state coast, officials said.
The cancellations affected services to destinations such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Kadapa, the official said.
For Wednesday, IndiGo has cancelled all its 12 flights at Vijayawada airport, while Fly91 has also cancelled flights and Air India has cancelled its morning service to Delhi. A total of 15 flights have been cancelled for Wednesday, the official said.
At Visakhapatnam airport, 16 flights were cancelled on Tuesday.
In its latest bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Arnab was over the Bay of Bengal, about 170 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, at 11.30 am. It was likely to move west-northwestward until evening before crossing the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by Wednesday forenoon.
The system was expected to make landfall with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph, the IMD said.
Evacuations have been planned and precautionary measures underway to prevent loss of life and property, officials said.