A severe cyclone slammed into India's southern coast early on Thursday(26), killing at least five people and uprooting trees and power lines.
Cyclone Nivar made landfall near the city of Puducherry, located near the southern state of Tamil Nadu, with winds of up to 130 km per hour (81 miles per hour), according to the India Meteorological Department.
Heavy rains from the storm caused flooding in some streets of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu's largest city which is home to many large automobile manufacturers, according to reports.
The storm caused at least five deaths in and around Chennai from trees falling, drowning and electrocution, media reports said.
A spokesman for the chief minister's office declined to comment on the reported deaths.
Local administration workers have been working to remove fallen trees and power lines, city corporation officials said on Twitter.
People in Velachery, a low-lying suburb of Chennai, said the storm's impact was mitigated by steps taken by the government ahead of the storm, compared to the hundreds of deaths during floods in 2015.
"The situation was terrible here during the floods in 2015. This year, because of the precautions taken, the situation has not been that bad," said S Sakthivel, a shopkeeper in Velachery.
More than a hundred cars were parked on the edge of a bridge in Velachery to keep them above the floodwaters, according Reuters.
While rains are expected to subside in Tamil Nadu, heavy precipitation is expected in the Rayalaseema region of the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
The streets around the Lord Venkateshwara temple, one of the world's richest, in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, were flooded and officials were working to drain the water, reports further said.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas of Tamil Nadu ahead of the storm's landfall, a state minister said.
The Meteorological Department said Nivar's intensity had dropped to 85 to 95 kph (53 to 59 mph) and is expected to weaken further.
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)