The cyclone struck the Tamil Nadu coast at Mahabalipuram on Wednesday. No major damage has been reported as of now.
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Man slips into rough sea in Puducherry
In Puducherry, a 46-year old man slipped into the rough sea and drowned when he, along with his friends, was walking on the pier to see the sea conditions during the cyclonic storm.
Crew member of grounded ship dies
1 crew member of the ship grounded due to the cyclone is feared dead. Six people are feared missing.
Boat carrying the crew reportedly capsized when it was trying to reach the shore.
Heavy rains expected in AP
Disaster Management says heavy rains are expected across Andhra Pradesh
Chennai: People have been asked to clear the Marina beach. Heavy winds have been reported from the city.
Cyclone to intensify
The Weather department says that there is possibility of Cyclone Nilam to intensify.
Nilam hits Tamil Nadu coast
Cyclone Nilam on Wednesday hit the Tamil Nadu coast at Mahabalipuram. No major damage has been reported. Four thousand people have been evacuated near Mahabalipuram.
Wind speed went up to about 100 km per hour. Puducherry and south Chennai have been affected.
According news sources, 23 trees have been uprooted in Mahabalipuram and 2 huts have been damaged.
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IANS reports
Cyclone Nilam crossed the Tamil Nadu coast north of Chennai on Wednesday evening between Mamallapuram and Kalpakkam with strong winds battering the area, said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The official said: "The cyclone started crossing the coast around 4.45 pm and it would take around one or two hours to cross the coast."
According to him, the wind speed was currently at 65 kmph and would touch around 100-110 kmph.
Strong winds earlier made the ship Pratibha Cauvery run aground in Chennai.
Mamallapuram, a seventh century port city located near Chennai, is a popular tourist destination for its sculptures and is classified as a Unesco world heritage site.
On the other hand, neighbouring Kalpakkam is known as nuclear island with a couple of test reactors of India Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and two units of Madras Atomic Power Station.
India's own 500 MW fast breeder reactor is also being set up at Kalpakkam at an outlay of Rs5,677 crore.
According to a state government official, around 3,900 people in Mamallapuram have been lodged in 19 relief camps.
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