Earlier on Thursday, the deep depression intensified into a cyclone and has been christened ‘Dithwa’, as suggested by Yemen and it refers to the Detwah lagoon on Socotra island, known for its distinct coastal ecosystem.
Humanitarians are working to provide shelter support and have deployed rapid response teams after heavy rains flooded thousands of displaced families in Gaza, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The 42-km-long 14 Kosi Parikrama is underway in Ayodhya with around one million devotees braving heavy rains in the city amid religious fervor and enthusiasm.
However, the red alert for the Tiruvallur, adjoining Chennai, and Ranipet districts remains with heavy rainfall forecast for nine districts, including Chennai and the neighbouring Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu districts.
The situation is dire, with two iron bridges collapsed, several roads damaged and flooded, and huge tracts of land inundated in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar.
A woman pilgrim was killed after being hit by a shooting stone on the Baltal route, while the Indian Army rescued about 3,500 Amarnath pilgrims who were stranded due to landslides and heavy rains on the yatra route.
Heavy rains continued to batter parts of south Bengal for the third consecutive day due to the combined effect of a low-pressure area and an active cyclonic circulation, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue fresh warnings for several districts in the state.
The National Capital on Friday experienced a sudden change in weather as the city drenched in heavy rains followed by a cloudy sky and light winds in the NCR region.
The system is likely to move in a north-easterly direction along the Odisha coast, a CEC bulletin said.
The Indian Army launched a rescue mission at Khadki village in Ahilyanagar district, formerly known as Ahmednagar, amidst incessant heavy rains.
