Cyclone 'Phethai' makes landfall, normal life hit in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesha

Cyclone 'Phethai' today made landfall in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in the afternoon that brought moderate to heavy rains even as normal life remained hit in the coastal districts of the state. Incessant rains were lashing East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts since Sunday night under the impact of 'Phethai' in Bay of Bengal. Squally winds have uprooted trees and electricity poles in some places.

However, the Real-Time Governance Centre at the state Secretariat announced that 'Phethai' weakened into a cyclone as it made landfall near Katrenikona around 12.25 pm with a wind speed of 80 kmph.

One person was killed in a landslide caused by heavy rains in Vijayawada city but no other casualties have been reported from elsewhere so far, according to sources in the State Disaster Management Authority.


The South Central Railway has cancelled several trains and rescheduled some others because of the cyclone.

Air traffic to the port city of Visakhapatnam has been hampered due to turbulent weather conditions, following which some flights were diverted to Hyderabad.

A holiday has been declared for educational institutions in the coastal districts of the state as a precautionary measure.