Tens of thousands evacuated in India ahead of Cyclone Tauktae

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in India as a severe cyclone barreled toward landfall on India’s northwest state of Gujarat on Sunday evening.

Heavy rainfall and winds from Cyclone Tauktae, which originated in the Arabian Sea, had already pounded some states along India’s western coast, causing power outages, downing trees and resulting in at least six deaths, according to the Reuters news agency. Four of the six deaths were in the southern state of Karnataka, where more than 70 coastal villages were affected, according to the state’s disaster management authority.

The cyclone, which was classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm” Saturday, was likely to intensify over the next day, the India Meteorological Department said in a briefing Sunday afternoon. Forecasters said that it would reach the coast of Gujarat, one of India’s largest states, on Sunday, with winds gusting as high as about 115 mph.