Cyclone Nisarga, which claimed the four lives in Maharashtra has now turned into a depression over the west Vidarbha region in the state. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone will further weaken and will move east-northeastwards and weaken into a Well Marked Low-Pressure Area (WML) by today evening. Cyclone Nisarga had spared Mumbai and had made landfall near Alibaug, about 110 km from Mumbai on Wednesday.
The cyclone had hit the coastal districts of Maharashtra from the Arabian Sea with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph) on Wednesday afternoon.
Mumbai was on edge as it braced for the cyclone after a gap of 72 years. The neighbouring coastal districts of Raigad and Palghar bore the brunt of the storm experiencing strong winds, heavy rainfall and raging sea surge.
Tidal waves measuring up to 6-8 feet lashed parts of the coastal areas. Tin roofs erected on the terraces of residential apartments flew away in some places and several trees and electricity poles were also uprooted.
A 58-year-old man died after a power transformer fell on him while he was rushing home to escape the cyclone fury in Raigad district, while a 65-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man died in house collapse after the tin sheets on the roof were blown in separate incidents in Pune district, officials said.
Mumbaikars heaved a sigh of relief as the cyclone's damage appeared limited to the uprooting of trees in some areas that led to vehicles being crushed.
(With PTI inputs)
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