.bmp)
.bmp)
Map showing the path of Cyclone Laila. A severe cyclone packing winds of 110 kilometres (70 miles) an hour hit India's southeast coast on Thursday as tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes fearing major damage(AFP) Tropical cyclone Laila hit India’s east coast, lashing the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with heavy rain and claiming at least 22 lives.The cyclone, which has sustained winds of 111 kilometers (69 miles) per hour, made landfall about 100 kilometers south of the city of Vijayawada at 11:30 p.m. local time yesterday, the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.At least 16 people died in Andhra Pradesh, The Times of India reported, including people washed away in floods or crushed as walls collapsed. About 45,000 people were evacuated to relief camps as rail and road services were disrupted, the report said. The Times reported yesterday six people died in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu.Cyclone Laila slowed down as it hit the coast and the storm is moving northeast at 1.8 kilometers an hour toward the city of Visakhapatnam. The storm is forecast to weaken from today as the eye moves over land and along India’s east coast toward Bangladesh later this week....
--ONGC Suspends 7 Oil Rigs as Cyclone Laila Lashes India’s Coast --Images: NASA's satellite captures cyclone Laila
