His body was afloat. They prodded it with a wooden pole. A few men then pulled the body out of the floodwaters outside an ATM in Chennai, shows a disturbing video. The city has been experiencing heavy rainfall ahead of a powerful cyclone storm, Fengal, which is set to make landfall in the evening.

The man, who has not been identified so far, was likely electrocuted, said police. An investigation is underway, the cops added. 

Fengal skirted the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week, killing at least 12 people including six children.

Chennai International Airport has been temporarily shut till 7 pm in view of cyclone Fengal. Waterlogging has been reported from several areas in the city. 

The  India Meteorological Department or IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, and Cuddalore districts of Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world heats up due to climate change driven by burning fossil fuels.

People walk along a street at a neighbourhood partially submerged in floodwater as cyclone Fengal is forecasted to make landfall in Puttalam.
| Photo Credit: AFP

“Adverse weather from a deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal has claimed the lives of fifteen people in Sri Lanka,” according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) on Saturday (November 30, 2024).

Cyclone Fengal LIVE updates: Heavy rains lash Tamil Nadu, Fengal moves towards coastline

“The DMC said more than 4,50,000 people have been hit by floods, strong winds and earth-slips in the country. Fifteen people have died so far,” it said. The most number of 10 deaths have been recorded from the Eastern Province.

“The bad weather was caused by the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal. A cyclonic storm which is expected to affect the Eastern Province would move over to the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu later on Saturday (November 30, 2024),” the weather officials said.

“This would improve the bad weather situation in the country. However, the north, north central and eastern Trincomalee districts are expected to experience heavy rain falls over 100 mm,” the Meteorological Department said. Heavy winds of more than 60 km per hour are also expected to hit parts of the island.

Meanwhile, the police said they arrested a school principal and a teacher over the deaths of six students, owing to floodwaters in the eastern town of Sammanthurai while travelling on a tractor. The principal had asked the students to travel by tractor owing to a lack of buses. 

Puducherry:

Officials here have asked the residents to stay indoors in view of cyclonic storm Fengal’s likely landfall near Puducherry on Saturday afternoon.

All schools and colleges here will remain closed on Saturday, they said.

The cyclonic storm is likely to make landfall close to Puducherry with wind speeds up to 90 kmph, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

District Collector A Kulothungan held discussions with the officials of PWD, local administration, police and other line departments and reviewed the situation.

The Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has set up toll-free numbers 112 and 1077 to receive distress calls from the public. People can also seek help through the WhatsApp number 9488981070.

Meanwhile, complying with an advisory, 4,153 boats have returned to the shore and 2,229 relief camps are ready for use if needed, the state government said.

As of now, a total of 471 people belonging to 164 families have been accommodated in six relief centres in Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.

Boats, generators, motor pumps and all other necessary machinery and equipment are ready in districts and NDRF and state teams have been deployed wherever needed, including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Chengelpet and Chennai.

Senior officials assigned to supervise and coordinate related tasks with district authorities are stationed in their respective districts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)