Cyclonic storm Laila hits southern India
Cyclonic Storm Laila
Coastal areas of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been hit by the first storm of the Bay of Bengal's cyclone season.
Cyclone Laila made landfall on the southern Indian coast, battering the area with heavy rains and strong winds of 55 mph (90 km/h) have uprooted trees and electricity poles.
More than 50,000 people have been evacuated. Though the cyclone appears to be weakening, officials warn the cyclone could still cause widespread damage.
In the past 24 hours, up to 12 inches (305mm) of rain has fallen on coastal stretches of Andhra Pradesh, killing 15 people with at least 55 fishermen reported missing.
Laila is the worst storm to hit the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in 14 years and has been classified as "severe".
At least six districts have been hit by power cuts leaving hundreds of villages in darkness for more than 10 hours.
Coastal areas in the north of Tamil Nadu state have also been experiencing heavy rains since Tuesday night.
The forecast for Cyclonic Storm Laila suggests it will weaken into a tropical depression by Saturday, but still producing mean wind speeds of 50 mph (60 km/h).
This will bring a lot more rainfall as it travels northeast along the east coast of India into the state of Orissa.
The tropical depression will then start to head out into the Bay of Bengal during the middle part of next week.
The cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea tends to run between April and December, with storm activity peaking during May and November.
