Cyclone Tauktae: At least 25 killed, widespread devastation in Gujarat

Cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall near Una in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district on Monday, has claimed at least 25 lives in places along India's west coast. The extremely severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds up to 180 kilometre per hour, has also caused extensive damage in the states on its pathway. 

Thousands of trees were uprooted, houses destroyed, electric poles upended and roads battered in coastal Gujarat. Amreli, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Botad in Saurashtra region are the worst-hit districts.

Out of the 425 hospitals treating patients for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the affected areas, 122 faced power outages due to the severe damage to 220 kilovolt sub-stations. The system weakened into a depression crossing southeast Rajasthan around Udaipur.

Thestorm system continue to reduce in strength over the next 12 hours, as it moves northwards. It will interact with the western disturbances to bring heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh. Heavy snowfall up to 200 cm has been predicted in Uttarakhand for the next two days.