LIVE: Cyclone Nisarga may cause rainfall in MP, Chhattisgarh in next 24 hrs

Cyclone Nisarga: Flights and trains to and from Mumbai have resumed. Section 144 has been imposed in the city. Catch latest weather updates and news related to Cyclone Nisarga landfall

9:08 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Two dead, three injured as cyclonic storm enters Pune district

Two people died and three others were injured in two cyclone-related incidents in Pune district on Wednesday, said officials. Cyclone Nisarga is currently centered over Pune after making landfall in coastal Raigad district of Maharashtra around 1 pm. Manjabai Anant Navale (65), resident of Vahagaon village in Khed tehsil, died as a wall of her house collapsed and tin sheets on the roof were blown away in the wind.

 

"Three other members of Navale family also sustained injuries. They have been shifted to a hospital in Chakan," said a senior district official.

 

Prakash Mokar (52), a resident of Mokarwadi in Haveli tehsil, also died after the roof of his house was blown away and he was injured while trying to catch the tin sheets, said an officer from the District Disaster Management Cell.

9:02 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: 6 flights diverted and 1 cancelled due to weather conditions at Pune Airport

8:46 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Man killed as transformer falls on him amid cyclone fury

A 58-year-old man was killed after a power transformer collapsed on him due to the heavy winds in Raigad district as cyclone Nisarga lashed coastal Maharashtra on Wednesday, a police official said. The incident took place at Umate village near Revadanda around 1.30 pm, he said.

 

Dashrath Babu Waghmare, the deceased, was rushing home as heavy rain and winds pounded the area.

 

An electrical transformer toppled over and fell on him and he died before doctors could attend to him, the official said.

8:39 PM

Cyclone threat to Mumbai has lessened: Maharashtra revenue minister

The threat posed by cyclonic storm 'Nisarga' to Mumbai has lessened, but the next few hours will be quite crucial, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said on Wednesday. He also said trees got uprooted at various places and power supply snapped as poles fell. Thorat said authorities in Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar are on alert considering the trajectory of the cyclone.

 

"Though the threat posed to Mumbai by the cyclone has reduced, the next few hours will be quite crucial. The cyclone can have influence over an average of 200 km from its eye," Thorat tweeted.

 

Thorat, who also heads Maharashtra Congress unit, said the cyclonic storm has moved towards Karjat and hit Murud and Shrivardhan (both in Raigad district where the landfall was reported) the most.

8:23 PM

LIVE: Cyclone Nisarga weakens into a 'cyclonic storm'

After hitting the Maharashtra coast with wind speeds of up to 120 kmph on Wednesday afternoon, Cyclone Nisarga weakened into a 'cyclonic storm' in the evening, the India Meteorological Department said. The process of landfall, which began at 12.30 PM at Alibaug, had completed by 2.30 PM, IMD director general Mrutunjay Mohapatra said. By 4 PM, the cyclone had started weakening with wind speeds of 90-100 kilometres per hour.

 

The storm currently lays over Raigad and Pune districts. The current wind speed of the storm has also reduced to 65-75 kilometres per hour, the IMD said in a bulletin at 6.30 PM. The cyclone will further weaken into a deep depression by late night, the IMD bulletin said.

 

Although the cyclone made the landfall just 95 kilometres from Mumbai, the metropolitan city largely escaped its wrath.

 

Thousands of people had been evacuated in coastal Maharashtra and south Gujarat, trains rescheduled, flights cancelled and fishermen ordered out of the seas as the region braced for the cyclone.

8:12 PM

LIVE: Cyclone Nisarga makes landfall, uproots trees, spares Mumbai

Cyclone Nisarga made landfall near Mumbai on Wednesday but appeared to have maintained 'social distancing" from the city reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, as it uprooted trees in nearby Raigad and Palghar districts. A 58-year-old man died after a power transformer fell on him while he was rushing home to escape the cyclone fury at Umate village in Raigad district, police said.

 

Two people died and three were injured in two separate cyclone-related incidents in Pune district, an official said.

 

The cyclone slammed Maharashtra coast with wind speeds of up to 120 kmph, making landfall at 12.30 PM at Alibaug near Mumbai. The process was completed by 2.30 PM, a senior IMD official said.

8:00 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Gujarat heaves sigh of relief as cyclone makes little impact

Cyclone Nisarga did not cause any major damage on the southern coast of Gujarat on Wednesday afternoon and evening following landfall near Alibaug in Maharashtra, officials said. The Gujarat government had evacuated over 63,700 people from coastal areas of eight districts and 18 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and six teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed for rescue operations.

 

Luckily, the cyclonic storm passed without any major incident and casualties, said state relief commissioner Harshad Patel.

 

"No untoward incident or human injury has been reported so far due to the cyclone. While the wind speed was normal in south Gujarat region, both Valsad and Navsari received just 2 mm and 7 mm rainfall since morning. The situation is under control," he said.

 

Bracing for the cyclone, the Gujarat government had shifted to safer places 33,680 persons in Valsad district alone, followed by Navsari (14,040), Surat (8,727), Hangar (3,066), Amreli (2,086), Bharuch (1,202), Anand (761) and Gir-Somnath (228).

7:54 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: 58-year-old man killed in Maharashtra's Raigad district after transformer falls on him due to gusty winds

58-year-old man killed in Maharashtra's Raigad district after transformer falls on him due to gusty winds triggered by Cyclone Nisarga : Police

7:47 PM

LIVE: Cyclone Nisarga now moving towards north-east Maharashtra, says IMD

After making landfall at Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Wednesday afternoon, cyclonic storm 'Nisarga' is moving north-east and is likely to impact Nashik, Dhule and Nandurbar districts, which may witness heavy showers with gusty winds, an IMD official said. The landfall process started near Alibaug at around 1 pm and ended by 4 pm, he said. Districts such as Raigad, Palghar, Thane and Mumbai were affected by the cyclonic storm.

 

"As per the predictions, heavy to very heavy rains with gusty winds were experienced," said head of the weather department, Pune, Anupam Kashyapi. The cyclone was now moving north-east and is likely to affect Nashik, Dhule and Nandurbar in north Maharashtra, he added.

 

"The north-west part of Pune district will also be affected because of the movement of the storm. Widespread rains will be witnessed in Pune city and district, while heavy to very heavy showers are likely in ghat areas," the official said.

7:29 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Fire brigade department responded to 60 calls related to tree uprooting today

Fire brigade department, Pune Municipal Corporation says it responded to 60 calls related to tree uprooting and 9 calls related to waterlogging till evening today.

7:21 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Flight operations resume at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport

Flight operations resume at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Arrivals and departures were suspended at 2:30 pm due strong crosswinds induced by Cyclone Nisarga.

7:16 PM

LIVE: Expecting Cyclone Nisarga to weaken into a deep depression, says IMD

6:59 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Mumbai Mayor inspects Girgaon beach

Mayor of Mumbai Kishori Pednekar on Wednesday inspected the Girgaon beach, before heading for Versova, in view of the cyclone Nisarga. Talking to ANI, Pednekar said that people living near the sea have been evacuated. "Our fire services, lifeguards and other disaster management teams are on standby. People living near the sea have been evacuated," she said.

 

The severe cyclonic storm 'Nisarga' made landfall near Alibaug on the north coast of Maharashtra, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday adding the landfall process will be completed during the next three hours.

 

'Nisarga', the first cyclone to hit Mumbai in 72 years, has started landfall with wind speeds of up to 120 km per hour. "The centre of the severe cyclone Nisarga is very close to Maharashtra coast. Landfall process started and it will be completed during next three hours. The northeast sector of the eye of severe Cyclonic storm Nisarga is entering into land," the IMD said.

6:54 PM

Nisarga LIVE: NCP MP from Raigad Sunil Tatkare urges people to stay indoors as cyclone may intensify

Urging people in coastal areas to remain indoors, NCP MP from Raigad Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday said the threat posed by cyclonic storm Nisarga has still not abated and it may intensify in the evening. Taking to Twitter, Tatkare also asked people to follow instructions issued by the state government with regard to the cyclone, which made landfall in the Raigad district earlier in the day.

 

"The threat is still not over. The cyclone may intensify after evening. Hence, people should stay safe inside homes. They should not step out for any reason," he tweeted.

 

The impact of the cyclone was witnessed in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts and instances of trees falling and roofs flying off structures were also reported, he said. The NCP leader further noted that the cyclone had hit Pen, Indapur, Mangaon, Roha, Kolad, Murud, Alibaug, Shrivardhan and Ratnagiri.

6:47 PM

Cyclone Nisarga LIVE: Flight operations resume at Mumbai airport

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport, which was suspended at 2.30 pm, has now resumed, a spokesperson of GVK said on Wednesday. MIAL, the private airport operator, had earlier announced that all operations at the CSMIA will remain suspended between 2.30 pm and 7 pm as a precautionary measure in view of the cyclone Nisarga.

 

"The operatins at Mumbai airport have recommenced," the spokesperson said. A GVK-led consortium in partnership with AAI runs the Mumbai airport under a joint venture MIAL. "The landing and take-off is permitted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from 6 pm," the airport spokesperson said in a statement.

 

MIAL had scheduled a total of 19 flights for Wednesday, which include 11 departures and eight arrivals to be operated by five airlines -- Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia India.