Cyclone death toll hits 84 in India

The death toll from a major cyclone that slammed into coronavirus-ravaged India jumped to at least 84 yesterday, as the navy searched for 65 people still missing and authorities scrambled to restore power to the worst-hit regions. 

Cyclone Tauktae, which pummelled the western coast late Monday and left a trail of destruction, has added to the country's woes as it is reeling from Covid-19 crisis.

The cyclonic storm was the latest in what experts say is a growing number of ever-bigger storms in the Arabian Sea because of climate change warming its waters.

The defence ministry yesterday said that Navy ships had rescued more than 600 people after waves up to eight metres (26 feet) high hammered offshore oil installations.

But 22 bodies were also recovered while planes and helicopters were still searching for 65 workers missing from one of several support vessels that slipped its moorings in the storm and sank.

MK Jha, head of the Naval Western Command, said that the sea was so rough that they could not board life rafts.

Even before the cyclone made landfall in Gujarat state with gusts up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, associated heavy rains and strong winds killed around 20 people in western and southern India.

Although the cyclone was one of the fiercest in decades, better forecasting than in previous disasters meant that 200,000 people in danger zones -- including hundreds of Covid-19 patients -- were moved to safety.