Heavy rains leave at least 8 people dead as Michaung makes landfall on India

Eight people were dead as Tropical Storm Michaung began making landfall along India’s southeastern coastline Tuesday, bringing with it torrential rains and strong winds, officials said.
The cyclone started crossing the coastline of Andhra Pradesh state with maximum sustained winds of 90-100 kph (56-62 mph) and gusts up to 110 kph (68 mph), said Sunanda Sharma, an official at the state’s Cyclone Warning Center.
“It will take three hours for the entire system to cross the coast and complete the landfall,” she said, adding that there could be a storm surge and more heavy showers in the next 24 hours before the storm weakens.
Another state in the south, Tamil Nadu, experienced days of heavy rains in the lead-up to the storm. Downpours triggered accidents that led to at least eight deaths across four vulnerable districts in recent days, said C. Muthukumaran, a disaster management official in the state.