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Cyclone Hudhud wreaks havoc in eastern India

October 12, 2014

Cyclone Hudhud has made landfall on India's eastern seaboard, causing widespread damage. Deaths have already been reported as the storm uproots trees and damages buildings.

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:In this photograph taken on October 11, 2014 large waves buffet the coastline ahead of Cyclone Hudhud making expected landfall in Visakhapatnam. AFP PHOTO STR/AFP/Getty Images
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR

Cyclone Hudhud pounded India's eastern coast on Sunday, toppling trees and causing damage to buildings as it made landfall around midday local time (0630 UTC), initially bringing winds of up to 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour.

The port city of Visakhapatnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh has borne the brunt of the cyclone's onslaught, with at least two people reported dead there so far. Visakhapatnam is one of the largest cities in southern India and home to a major naval base.

The cyclone's wind speed dropped to about 160 kph (99 mph) shortly after making landfall, but was expected to pick up again later on Sunday, Eastern Naval Command Read Admiral S.K. Grewal told reporters.

More than 350,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, with experts saying that nearly 300 kilometers (185 miles) of India's eastern seaboard were likely to be affected by the storm.

Some 1,700 helpers from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across both states; navy and army personnel are also ready to step in to assist.

The Andhra Pradesh districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari, home to more than 14 million people in total, stand in the storm's path. Cyclones form regularly over the Bay of Bengal in the period from April to November, and often cause deaths and widespread damage along India's eastern seaboard and in neighboring Bangladesh.

Last year, Cyclone Phailin killed at least 18 people in Orissa despite a huge evacuation effort, while in 1999, a huge cyclone swept through the eastern state killing more than 8,000 people.

Elsewhere in Asia, Typhoon Vongfong has injured several people on the Japanese island of Okinawa amid winds of up to 180 kilometers (110 miles) per hour. Authorities told 150,000 people on the island of Kyushu to evacuate as the storm continued its northwestward path.

Japan's Metereological Agency said the typhoon could reach the Tokyo area by Tuesday, but that it will gradually lose strength on its way up the archipelago.

tj/msh (AP, Reuters)