Evacuation as cyclone Nilam hits India's southeast coast

Thousands of people were evacuated yesterday from their homes in southeast India as a cyclone slammed into the coast, killing two people, according to reports, and causing an oil tanker to run aground.
Cyclone Nilam struck the historic port of Mahabalipuram, 50 kilometres south of Chennai, and is forecast to cross the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh overnight.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that strong winds forced an oil tanker to run aground off the Chennai coast yesterday afternoon, and said one of the ship's 37 crew members drowned when the lifeboat carrying him capsized.
Rescuers searched frantically for six remaining crew members reported missing in the accident.
Officials in Tamil Nadu state evacuated thousands of people living close to the coast earlier in the day.
The latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department predicted that winds gusting up to 85 kilometres (49 miles) an hour would trigger heavy rain along India's southeastern coast before the cyclone weakened overnight.
In the former French colony of Pondicherry, a 46-year-old man drowned when he was swept into the turbulent sea while walking along the coast, PTI reported.
The Tamil Nadu government ordered fishermen not to go out to sea until the cyclone weakened.
Local authorities said they were preparing helicopters and boats for any emergency. Existing cyclone shelters, schools and community halls have also been identified to serve as potential relief camps.
The last cyclone in India struck in the same southeast region in January, claiming 42 lives and leaving a trail of destruction across Tamil Nadu.