Tropical storm brewing in Bay of Bengal off Indian coast
CTV
Indian authorities issued an alert, shut schools and canceled trains in parts of the country on Friday as rescue teams braced for a tropical storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal.
The storm is expected to hit the coastline of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, then enter eastern Odisha and West Bengal states on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), Indian Meteorological Department chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
Scientists say severe storms are becoming more frequent in India and changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense.
Andhra Pradesh state relief commissioner Kanna Babu said fishing boats in both states have been ordered to return to harbor and thousands of rescue and relief teams are fanning out for recovery operations.
Mohapatra also said that offshore oil drilling platforms in the region have been advised to suspend activities on Saturday and Sunday.
