At least 11 people were reported dead on Friday as a powerful cyclone battered India’s eastern coast, authorities said.
Thousands of trees were felled by winds that destroyed homes and vehicles as hundreds of thousands fled to shelter homes.
Cyclone Gaja packed winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour as it barrelled into Tamil Nadu state after hitting the coast near Nagapattinam early Friday bringing heavy rains, India’s weather office said.
The ruling party in the prosperous state said on Twitter that 11 people were killed in the powerful storm that has flooded several low-lying areas along the coastline on the Bay of Bengal.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party provided no further details about the victims.
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