Cyclone Thane weakens after killing 37 people in southern India

Dec 31, 2011, 10:31 GMT

New Delhi - The death toll from Cyclone Thane that battered India's southern coast climbed to 37 Saturday, but meteorologists said the storm had weakened.

The cyclone, which made landfall between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu state and the federally administered territory of Pondicherry on Friday, dumped heavy rains in the region and was accompanied by winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour.

The Indian Meteorological Department said Thane had moved westwards to Kerala state, also in the south, and weakened into a 'low pressure area,' but heavy rains could still be expected in some areas.

While 33 people were killed in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, four died in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram, officials told the IANS news agency. Most of the deaths were because of collapsing houses and trees, or electrocution by downed wires.

Life was limping back to normal Saturday in Cuddalore, which bore the brunt of the storm with 21 deaths.

The authorities were working to restore telephone lines and power supply, while rail and air services resumed.

'Major roads are being cleared of uprooted trees and traffic is being resumed,' Cuddalore deputy police chief S Vanitha told IANS. 'People are returning to their homes or going back to homes of their relatives from relief camps.'

The fierce storm flooded large areas, uprooted trees and power lines, disrupted transportation, and damaged crops.

Cyclones that form frequently over the Bay of Bengal bring widespread destruction and flooding to India's southern and eastern coasts. In 1999, a supercyclone hit the eastern state of Orissa, killing 10,000 people and leaving 15 million homeless.