Cyclone Montha leaves a trail of destruction

RAINS, FLOODS SWEEP ANDHRA, TELANGANA, ODISHA, MP

- BY STEPHEN N. R.

Severe Cyclone Montha battered large parts of eastern and central India yesterday, killing at least two people in coastal Andhra Pradesh and triggering heavy rains, flooding, transport disruptions and widespread crop damage across Telangana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Packing powerful winds and torrential rain, the cyclone made landfall near Narsapur between Machilipatnam and Kakinada around midnight, uprooting trees and power lines and inundating towns across the coastal belt. It later weakened into a depression as it moved toward Telangana and central India.

Andhra bears the brunt