Cyclone Murasu crosses Andhra coast near Ongole

Cyclone Murasu crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole early November 3, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that disrupted transport, damaged homes and affected local election counting. The India Meteorological Department said the storm crossed between Nellore and Narsapur from 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., with sustained winds of 100 to 110 km/h and gusts up to 120 km/h. Rain delayed the start of vote counting for urban local body elections in Vijayawada by about two and a half hours, while counting also slowed in Guntur. In NTR district, counting for five local bodies began at 8 a.m. and proceeded under police security, District Collector G. Lakshmisha said. The elections cover 92 urban local bodies across Andhra Pradesh. Polling took place November 1. Rail services were also disrupted. South Coast Railways’ Vijayawada Division said train movement on the Vijayawada-Ongole-Gudur section was temporarily suspended after gale-force winds were recorded at Karavadi. Twenty-nine trains were affected by regulation, cancellation, diversion or rescheduling. In Vijayawada, heavy rain caused waterlogging and traffic difficulties on several roads, including Bandar Road and Polyclinic...