India evacuates coronavirus patients as Cyclone Tauktae slams into west coast
- The cyclone came as India recorded 4,100 deaths and 280,000 new coronavirus cases over the past day
- Thousands of people have been moved from Covid-19 hospitals, while authorities had to suspend vaccinations amid the storm
At least 12 people died over the weekend and on Monday in torrential rains and winds as Cyclone Tauktae swept over the Arabian Sea with Gujarat state in its sights. The storm is the biggest to hit western India in 30 years, local media said.
The “Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm” was set to make landfall on Monday between 8pm to 11pm local time, with winds of 155-165km/h gusting up to 185km/h, the Indian Meteorological Department said.
It warned of storm surges of up to three metres high in some of Gujarat’s coastal districts.
The colossal swirling system visible from space has exacerbated India’s dire problems dealing with a huge surge in coronavirus cases that is killing at least 4,000 people every day and pushing hospitals to breaking point.
In waterlogged and windswept Mumbai, where authorities on Monday closed the airport and urged people to stay indoors, authorities shifted 580 coronavirus patients “to safer locations” from three field hospitals.
Six people died and nine were injured as the storm lashed Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, the chief minister’s office said.
