Mass evacuations in India ahead of cyclone

Indian officials said on Sunday that nearly 400,000 people had left their homes in coastal areas of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa as Cyclone Hudhud approached over the Bay of Bengal.

The cyclone is expected to bring winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour (121 mph) when it makes landfall at around midday local time (0630 UTC). Experts warn that it could cause widespread devastation.

Winds of 140 kph (87 mph) were said to be uprooting trees and bringing down power lines already amid heavy rains. The cyclone is expected to hit land near the port city of Vishakapatman, one of the largest cities in Andhra Pradesh and home to a major naval base.

Some 1,700 helpers from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across both states; navy and army personnel are also ready to step in to assist.

Last year, Cyclone Phailin killed at least 18 people in Orissa, while in 1999, a huge cyclone swept through the eastern state killing more than 8,000 people.

Cyclones form regularly over the Bay of Bengal in the period from April to November, and often cause deaths and widespread damage along India's eastern seaboard and in neighboring Bangladesh.

Elsewhere in Asia, Typhoon Vonfong has injured several people on the Japanese island of Okinawa amid winds of up to 180 kilometers (110 miles) per hour. Authorities have told 150,000 people on the island of Kyushu to evacuate as the storm continues its northwestward path.

tj/msh (AFP, dpa, AP)