Nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated from India's eastern coast as Cyclone Arnab intensifies, with winds of up to 106mph expected to batter coastal communities. The storm is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday morning, bringing destruction to the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Storm Strengthens Ahead of Landfall
Cyclone Arnab has strengthened since Monday and is moving towards the coast. India's Meteorological Department has issued warnings, with the cyclone's centre last reported just 260km (160 miles) south-east of the port city of Visakhapatnam.
Forecasters expect the storm to move north-west before crossing the coast at around 6am GMT on Wednesday, with sustained winds of up to 170km/h (106mph).
Mass Evacuation Underway
Prakhar Jain, managing director of Andhra Pradesh's disaster management authority, said more than 12 million people live in the storm's path, of which about 400,000 will need to be evacuated. So far, nearly 50,000 have been relocated from the region.
The evacuation effort is focused on protecting residents in the path of the cyclone, which is expected to bring torrential rain and destructive winds to the eastern coast.
