Cyclone Vardah: Hope administration will take all precautions, says Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: In the wake of cyclone ' Vardah' making a landfall in Chennai, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today hoped the local administration will take all precautions for the safety of the citizens.

"As cyclone Vardah crosses the coast and hits Chennai, we watch anxiously and pray as the city braces itself to withstand the force of nature's fury. We trust the administration will take all precautions for the safety of the citizens during this time of hardship.

"I am sure the people of Chennai and Tamil Nadu will show the nation the same courage with which they faced a similar calamity last year. Entire Congress Party stands firmly by them," she said in a statement.

Two persons were killed as heavy rains accompanied by high velocity winds today pounded the city and coastal districts of north Tamil Nadu due to severe cyclonic storm "Vardah" which began making landfall near here, uprooting hundreds of trees, disrupting land and air transport and throwing normal life out of gear.

"The landfall process of cyclone Vardah has begun," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.