Cyclone Tauktae batters Mumbai, airport closed temporarily

LIVE | The BKC Jambo Covid Vaccination Center in #Mumbai has been badly affected by the rainfall. Strong winds with speed upto 90-100 km/hr were recorded across Mumbai and north Konkan. Here are the updates: https://t.co/E8erIgBW6C#CycloneTauktae pic.twitter.com/md8yZ2KLSJ

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) May 17, 2021

Six persons were killed in Maharashtra’s Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm while three sailors remained missing after two boats sank in the sea, news agency PTI reported citing an official statement.  Thousands of people were evacuated from the coastal region as a precautionary measure. Raigad district is on red alert while Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts are on orange alert.

Several incidents of uprooted trees and collapsed buildings were reported from the city. Two barges with 410 persons onboard went adrift off the Mumbai coast. The Indian Navy Search and Rescue team – INS Kolkata – has sailed out for assistance.

#CycloneTauktae
In response to another SOS received from Barge ‘GAL Constructor’ with 137 people onboard about 8NM from #Mumbai, INS Kolkata has been sailed with despatch to render assistance. @indiannavy @SpokespersonMoD @DDNewslive @ANI pic.twitter.com/aWI9qR73V9

— PRO Defence Mumbai (@DefPROMumbai) May 17, 2021

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday on the Cyclone Tauktae related situation in the state, official sources said.

As the cyclone inched closer to the Mumbai coast, the Bandra-Worli sea-link was closed for traffic in view of the strong winds and people were asked to take alternate routes.

Heavy to very rainfall was recorded across Mumbai on Monday.

Mumbai airport was closed till 10 pm on Monday, after which it restarted operations. Three Mumbai-bound flights operated by IndiGo and SpiceJet were diverted. The IndiGo flight was diverted to Hyderabad, while a SpiceJet flight was diverted to Surat. Another IndiGo flight was sent back to Lucknow.

The train services were hit due to water-logging and trees falling on railway tracks. Local trains’ services of the Central Railway were disrupted between suburban Ghatkopar and Vikhroli for about half-an-hour as a tree fell on an overhead wire while a train was heading towards neighbouring Thane.

A damaged car is seen on a road after a tree fell on it due to strong winds caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai. (Reuters)

Services on the harbour line, that provides rail connectivity to Navi Mumbai, were also affected after a vinyl banner fell on an overhead wire between Chunabhatti and Guru Tej Bahadur stations around 11.45 am. The banner was removed after about half-an-hour and train services were resumed. Due to the strong wind, some plastic sheets covering the roof of the common passenger area between the suburban and main lines at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) were blown away in the morning.

A fisherman tries to pull his boat ashore to a safe place during the formation of cyclone Tauktae, at Bandra in Mumbai. (PTI)

Many people took to social media to share videos and photos to convey the intensity of the cyclonic storm. The video showing high waves hitting the Gateway of India has been shared widely.

Cyclone Tauktae is likely to intensify further in the next 24 hours and reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening. As per IMD, the landfall is expected to take place between 8 pm and 11 pm on Monday and will cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in the Bhavnagar district with a slightly lower wind speed (around 155-165 kmph) than its current intensity (180-190 kmph).

(With PTI inputs)