India evacuates tens of thousands as Cyclone Arnab makes landfall

Ferocious winds and torrential rain lashed India's southeastern coast as Cyclone Arnab made landfall on Wednesday, forcing nearly 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in two states, authorities said.

Arnab hit Andhra Pradesh as a "very severe cyclonic storm", with winds of 125-135 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 150 kph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab is continuing to interact with the land surface," the IMD said in a statement, along the coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.

Authorities ordered thousands to move inland or take shelter in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the storm, while neighbouring Sri Lanka and Nepal also issued weather warnings.

"Protecting every life is our foremost priority," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said as the storm approached the coast.

As many as 50,000 people have been told to move to safe areas in Andhra Pradesh, and 48,000 in Odisha.

India's weather bureau warned of "total destruction" of thatched houses, localised flooding, the uprooting of power and communications poles, and "widespread damage" to standing crops.

The state’s disaster management authority said more than 12 million people live along the cyclone’s expected path.

Authorities set up over 2,000 cyclone shelters across 20 districts, while emergency alerts were being sent to the mobile phones of millions of residents, said Prakhar Jain, head of the Andra Pradesh state disaster management authority.

More than 30,000 fishing boats were secured along the coast, while nearly 1,100 medical teams were deployed across affected areas to provide emergency assistance, he added.