India's Gujarat state braces for strongest cyclone in more than 20 years

Cyclone Tauktae killed at least 12 people as it swept India's west coast

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  People in Veraval, in Gujarat, western India, prepare for Cyclone Tauktae by moving a fishing boat inland. Reuters

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  Cyclone Tauktae is moving northwards in parallel with India’s western coast, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong wind to several states, the country’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. AFP

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  A man rides a scooter through a waterlogged street in Mumbai after heavy rainfall from Cyclone Tauktae. AFP

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  An Indian Air Force plane prepares to fly National Disaster Response Force staff from Kolkata to western Gujarat state in anticipation of Cyclone Tauktae. AP

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  India’s National Disaster Response Force clears trees from a road in Margao, Goa, on Sunday after Cyclone Tauktae caused chaos. AFP

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  Police and rescue workers help a local resident along a flooded street in a coastal area of Kochi after Cyclone Tauktae caused heavy rain. AFP

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  A woman walks along a road in Mumbai, India, after Cyclone Tauktae caused heavy rain. AFP

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  Police and rescue workers evacuate a flooded house in a coastal area of Kochi after Cyclone Tauktae caused heavy rain. AFP

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  A police officer in Veraval, Gujarat, directs people to leave as waves approach the shore before the arrival of Cyclone Tauktae. Reuters

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  A fisherman waits for help as he tries to move a fishing boat to a safer ground on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai on Monday. Authorities tried to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people as Cyclone Tauktae moved into India's western coast. AP Photo

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  A man rows a boat on Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. Rain lashed the city and other parts of Kashmir Valley after a day of sunshine. EPA

Nearly 150,000 people were moved to safety from their homes in the Indian state of Gujarat on Monday and authorities closed ports and a main airport as the most intense cyclone in more than two decades roared up the west coast.

Cyclone Tauktae has killed at least 12 people and left a trail of destruction as it brushed past the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, authorities said.

It was expected to make landfall in Gujarat late on Monday.

"This will be the most severe cyclone to hit Gujarat in at least 20 years. This can be compared with the 1998 cyclone that hit Kandla and inflicted heavy damage," state revenue secretary Pankaj Kumar told Reuters.

The cyclone increases pressure on local administrations already struggling with a high caseload of Covid-19 infections.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) categorised the storm, which formed in the Arabian Sea, as an "extremely severe" storm, upgrading it from the "very severe" category.

The financial hub of Mumbai was lashed with heavy rain and strong winds as Cyclone Tauktae headed north. Strong winds forced authorities to suspend operations at Mumbai's airport, and close some main roads.

The cyclone, with sustained surface wind speeds of 180-190 kilometres per hour and gusts up to 210kph that would put it on par with a Category 3 hurricane, is rated one level below the IMD's super cyclone category.

As well as the 12 deaths reported in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, 28 fishing boats were missing, a coastguard official said.

Gujarat's state administration moved nearly 150,000 people from coastal communities and mobilised more than 50 disaster response teams.

The Gujarat Maritime Board, the state’s port regulator, ordered the hoisting of signals VIII to X, indicating great danger, at ports in the state.

India's largest private port at Mundra suspended operations for the day, an official there said.

Authorities are also concerned about the state's Asiatic lions, an endangered species found only in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where the cyclone is expected to inflict maximum damage.

"There are about 40 lions in some patches in coastal Saurashtra, and we are monitoring them. Some lions have already moved to higher grounds. We are keeping fingers crossed, and praying the lions will be safe," said Shyamal Tikadar, Gujarat's top forest officer.

The 1998 cyclone that ravaged Gujarat killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, media reported at the time.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said all measures were being taken to deal with the situation.

"These are special circumstances. The administration is busy with the Covid-19 challenges, and is now gearing up to deal with the impact of the cyclone," Mr Rupani said.

People pull a fishing boat ashore before the arrival of Cyclone Tauktae in Veraval, Gujarat, India, on May 17, 2021. Reuters