Cyclone Arnab caused ₹4,600 crore worth losses in Andhra Pradesh: CM Naidu

The storm has killed seven people in Andhra Pradesh, where 8,000 electric poles were uprooted in Konaseema, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said.

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Cyclone Arnab has caused at least ₹4,600 crore in losses in Andhra Pradesh, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Thursday, as the state assessed the damage from the storm that killed seven people. Naidu said 8,000 electric poles were uprooted in Konaseema and promised compensation to affected farmers and families. A central team is expected to visit the state on Friday.

In neighbouring Odisha, chief secretary Anu Garg said, around 300 villages in Ganjam district have been marooned by heavy rain and flash floods, prompting the government to coordinate with the Union home ministry for air evacuations. The state plans to airlift 120 people in the first phase, though continued rain and low cloud cover could delay operations. Rescue teams from the NDRF and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force are deployed in affected areas.

Also read: As Cyclone Arnab loses steam, second system intensifies into low-pressure area over Bay of Bengal

In Bengal, rain and squally winds continued as Arnab weakened into a depression over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining south Odisha. Meanwhile, a second system has formed over the Bay of Bengal and has already intensified into a low-pressure, officials of the India Meteorological Department said. Officials are, however, yet to forecast whether the system would intensify into a cyclone.

Coast guard rescues 20 crew in Philippine vessel

The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday evening rescued all 20 crew members of the Philippine cargo vessel Sigma Pearl after it was stranded in the Bay of Bengal off the Andhra Pradesh coast amid adverse weather caused by Cyclone Arnab on Wednesday, an official statement said.