KAKINADA, India (AP) — A powerful cyclone battered India ’s Andhra Pradesh state on Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging homes and farmland after authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people, officials said. Cyclone Arnab made landfall early Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm before weakening to a severe cyclonic storm as it moved inland, the India Meteorological Department said. Two women were electrocuted in separate incidents in the port city of Visakhapatnam, while another person was killed when a tree fell in East Godavari district, officials said. State disaster management officials said late Wednesday morning that wind speeds reached 135 kph (84 mph). Officials said the cyclone was expected to weaken further as it moved inland, with wind speeds likely to ease later in the day. The state’s chief minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, said that 14 coastal districts of the state were badly affected. He said winds and heavy rains caused widespread damage to houses, road networks, electrical poles and power supply infrastructure. He requested urgent assistance from the central government. The cyclone damaged 79,000 acres of crops and dozens of homes. The worst hit area was the state’s fertile Konaseema district. Banana and coconut plantations suffered extensively and a large number of trees and electricity poles were uprooted, disrupting electricity across the district, officials said. The meteorological service said the landfall process was complete and heavy rainfall as well as strong winds would continue under the cyclone’s influence in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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