India evacuates over 180,000 as Cyclone Arnab hits coast

Trees crashed onto highways, electricity poles were uprooted and thousands took shelter against Arnab, a powerful cyclone which made landfall on India's east coast on ​Wednesday, authorities said.
More than 180,000 people had been evacuated in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ‌ahead of the cyclone's arrival.

No loss of life has been reported in either state, though power supplies have been disrupted and trees have been uprooted. Some schools have been closed and some train and flight services cancelled.

Arnab, classified by the India Meteorological ​Department as a very severe cyclonic storm, the third-highest category on its scale, made landfall on the ​Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday morning, with the cyclone's centre then moving fully inland, the agency said.
⁠Visuals on television showed trees fallen on highways as workers in rain gear worked to clear the road ​of branches and leaves.

Winds of 125-135 kph ( 77.7–83.9 mph) and gusts of ‌up ⁠to 150 kph (93 mph) are forecast, with a storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above normal tide likely to inundate low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh, it said.
Operations at three Andhra Pradesh airports were suspended, India's civil aviation ministry said.