Cyclone Arnab lashes India coast, no deaths reported

Ferocious winds and torrential rain lashed India’s southeastern coast after a cyclone made landfall on Wednesday, but there were no initial reports of deaths, a top official said. Cyclone Arnab hit southeastern Andhra Pradesh state as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, with winds of 115-125 kilometres (71-77 miles) per hour and gusts reaching 140 kph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an update at 0830 am (0300 GMT). It warned of flash floods along the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said there had been no reported deaths from the storm, congratulating government officers who had “worked tirelessly throughout the night”. Fishing boats are anchored at a harbour in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada on October 28, 2026, ahead of cyclone Arnab’s expected landfall.

—AFP Naidu “expressed satisfaction that no loss of life occurred due to the proactive measures taken”, his office said in a statement on Wednesday morning. Around 50,000 people were told to move to safer areas in Andhra Pradesh and another 48,000 in neighbouring Odisha state. “Our homes get flooded, and we have to stay in the water,” said Rajeshwari, 65, who gave only one name and had been taken to a government-run shelter near Kakinada. Overnight, gales battered trees and heavy rain lashed the port city of Kakinada, close to the heart of the storm, as powerful waves crashed ashore. But at dawn on Wednesday, residents emerged onto flooded streets to assess what appeared to be limited damage in the city. A man cycles through a water-logged street in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada on October 28, 2026, ahead of cyclone Arnab’s expected landfall. —AFP ‘Safe indoors’ “Thank God, there was not as much damage this time,” said businessman Hussain, 43, who uses…