Cyclone Murasu makes landfall in Andhra Pradesh near Ongole - latest damage and track

Latest (Saturday, 7 November)

• Coast Guard on the fishing tragedy: according to an ETV Bharat report on Saturday (17:57 IST, 12:27 GMT), the boat Sri Chengalamman had sheltered from Murasu at Nizampatnam but sailed out on the night of 2 November, at the height of the storm, despite repeated warnings. The Coast Guard found the submerged wreck off Ongole at 9:35 IST on 5 November. Seven of the nine fishermen are dead, two are still missing.
• Request to Delhi: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for immediate interim central assistance (Deccan Chronicle, Friday 23:42 IST, 18:12 GMT). Preliminary losses stand at Rs 1,919.59 crore, including Rs 874.96 crore on 1,43,122 ha of crops hitting 1,86,063 farmers. A detailed report follows within 15 days, once floodwater recedes.
• Neighbours asked to help: Andhra Pradesh has asked Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for restoration crews. Murasu brought down about 10,000 power poles, just after 30,000 were restored following Cyclone Arnab.

Latest (Friday evening, 6 November)

• Fishermen: PTI reported on Friday at 3:18pm IST (09:48 GMT) that 7 of the 9 missing Tamil Nadu fishermen are dead. Five bodies were recovered on Thursday and two on Friday; the Coast Guard, marine police and local fishermen are still looking for the other two. Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu ordered faster identification, post-mortems and transport of the bodies to their families.
• Naidu in the fields: he walked through submerged paddy at Jillellamudi and Returu in Bapatla district, spoke to farmers and checked roads eroded by floodwater. He asked officials for proposals to repair or replace the gates on the Nallamada stream so floodwater stays off farmland.
• Farmers: crops are damaged on about 1.4 lakh hectares, affecting more than 1.8 lakh farmers, plus 6,749 hectares of horticulture (12,586 farmers). Naidu promised a push on crop insurance and input subsidies.
• Toll: 8 dead on land and losses of around Rs 1,919 crore, plus the 7 fishermen lost at sea.

Latest (Friday, 6 November)

• Lost at sea: bodies of fishermen from a Kasimedu (Chennai) trawler have washed up at Kothapatnam beach near Ongole in Prakasam district. The nine-man crew set out on 29 October and sent a distress call around 3am IST on 3 November (21:30 GMT on 2 November) after an engine failure off Ramayapatnam port. The Tamil Nadu government (PTI, Friday 7:30am IST) says 4 bodies have been recovered and 5 men are still missing; local paper The Hans India already reports a fifth body. The Coast Guard, marine police and local fishermen are searching.
• Relief: Tamil Nadu’s chief minister has approved Rs 7 lakh for each family and is paying to bring the bodies home from Ongole.
• Toll on land unchanged: 8 dead in Bapatla, Guntur and Palnadu districts, losses of Rs 1,918.55 crore.
• Naidu on the ground: the Andhra Pradesh chief minister leaves by helicopter at 12:20pm IST (06:50 GMT), inspects damaged drains at the Jillellamudi bridge near Bapatla and meets farmers in Returu village, Guntur district, around 1:50pm IST (08:20 GMT). He is due back around 3pm IST (09:30 GMT).

Latest (Thursday, 5 November)

• Death toll rises to 8: a preliminary assessment by state officials, reported by IANS on Thursday evening, lists 5 deaths in Bapatla, 2 in Guntur and 1 in Palnadu. The earlier official figure was 2.
• Losses up more than fivefold: from Rs 343 crore to Rs 1,918.55 crore. Crops are damaged on 143,122 ha, affecting about 186,000 farmers; 983 houses, 346 boats and roughly 760 km of main roads were damaged. Officials told the Chief Minister that a reliable crop count needs 48-72 hours, until the water drains away.
• Repairs: 871 of 1,103 affected 11 kV feeders are back in service and 97% of mobile towers are working. The state has released Rs 37 crore to districts for immediate relief.
• Weather: rain has eased and no heavy-rain warning is in force. Only moderate showers are expected around Nellore, Tirupati and Bapatla towards the weekend.
• Next: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu plans to tour the affected areas on Friday, 6 November.

Latest (Wednesday afternoon, 4 November)

• Aerial survey: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu flew over the Guntur, Prakasam and Bapatla districts, including Ongole, Chirala and Kothapatnam.
• State estimate: Murasu badly hit 465 villages in 7 districts and destroyed crops on about 52,500 hectares; losses are put at ₹343 crore (about ₹3.43 billion).
• Call for aid: after two cyclones in one week (Arnab and Murasu), the state asked New Delhi to release ₹4,563 crore (about ₹45.6 billion) immediately. Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned Naidu about the situation.
• Death toll unchanged: at least 2.

Latest (Wednesday morning, 4 November)

• Where Murasu is now: at 5:30am IST (00:00 GMT) it was a depression about 30 km northwest of Nandigama and 80 km northwest of Vijayawada, drifting north at about 10 km/h. IMD expects it to weaken into a well-marked low within 12 hours.
• Toll unchanged: at least two dead, 312 houses damaged and 12,230 people in relief centres. Preliminary losses stand at Rs 344 crore.
• Rivers and tanks: ten gates of the Prakasam Barrage near Vijayawada were raised, releasing 7,250 cusecs into the sea. Of 814 minor irrigation tanks being monitored, 776 are on high alert.
• Rain: Naguluppalapadu mandal in Prakasam district recorded the most, 228 mm, and Ibrahimpatnam 103 mm.
• Odisha: the neighbouring state was largely spared, with only light rain in the south.

Latest (Tuesday evening, 3 November)

• Deaths: APSDMA’s Tuesday evening update (around 9:40pm IST, 16:10 GMT) puts the toll at at least two. Details of the deaths were not given.
• Damage: 52,459 hectares of crops flooded in 132 mandals across 15 districts, worst in Krishna, Bapatla and Nandyala; 312 houses and about 2,750 electricity poles damaged. Preliminary losses: at least Rs 344 crore.
• People: 12,230 people are in cyclone shelters and 171 relief camps are open. 11 NDRF and 13 SDRF teams are deployed.
• Transport: more than 35 trains cancelled, 14 diverted and 8 rescheduled; several flights cancelled. Vehicles were stranded on national highways.
• Rainfall: in the 24 hours to 8:30am IST, Bapatla recorded 22 cm and Narasapur 20 cm.
• What next: Murasu has weakened to a cyclonic storm and should become a deep depression by midnight IST (18:30 GMT). Heavy to very heavy rain is still possible in coastal Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.

Latest (Tuesday morning, 3 November)

• Landfall: IMD confirms Murasu crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 3:30am and 5:30am IST (22:00-00:00 GMT). Sustained winds were 100-110 km/h, gusting to 120 km/h.
• Where it is now: at 8:30am IST (03:00 GMT) the centre was inland, about 30 km north-northeast of Ongole and 40 km southwest of Bapatla, drifting north-northwest at around 8 km/h and losing strength.
• Rainfall: in the 24 hours to 7am IST, Naguluppalapadu recorded 198 mm, Kothapatnam 182 mm, and Bapatla and Chirala roughly 120-128 mm.
• Damage: early reports point to thousands of uprooted trees and hundreds of toppled electricity poles, with power, phone networks and transport disrupted, roads blocked, crops and low-lying neighbourhoods flooded, and fishing boats damaged. Residents in Ongole mandal reported sea water pushing inland. No deaths had been reported by the morning.
• What next: a flash flood warning runs until 11:30pm IST (18:00 GMT) for Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, Palnadu, Prakasam and Nellore districts. Telangana faces extremely heavy rain, and fishermen are told to stay ashore until Wednesday.

The full aftermath of Arnab (at least seven deaths) is in our Cyclone Arnab update.