Ten people have died on Monday after Cyclone Vardah hit the Tamil Nadu coast, making landfall about 15 km away from the capital Chennai. The cyclone struck land with a wind speed of 120 and 130 kmph, bringing with it heavy rain that lashed the coast in Tamil Nadu and neighbour Andhra Pradesh all through Monday forcing thousands to flee their homes. As the Met office has forecast heavy rain in the next 12 hours, offices and educational institutions will remain shut in the affected districts including Chennai on Tuesday. The cyclone barrelled into the southeast coast bringing down trees and power lines as authorities moved tens of thousands of people from low-lying areas.
