Cyclone Vayu weakens, to cross Gujarat coast by night
Ahmedabad: Cyclone Vayu has weakened and is likely to cross the Gujarat coast by Monday midnight as a "depression", the weatherman said.
However, the Kutch district administration is on alert as the cyclone can cause heavy rainfall in the region.
Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local authorities are prepared to carry out relief and rescue operations whenever required, an official said.
The cyclone over northeast Arabian Sea has recurved and moved northeastward with a speed of about 13 kmph in the last six hours and weakened into a "deep depression", the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest bulletin.
On Monday morning, the cyclone was centered about 260 km west-southwest of Naliya, 240 km west-southwest of Dwarka and 340 km west-southwest of Bhuj in Gujarat, it said.
"The system is very likely to weaken into a depression during the next six hours. It is very likely to move northeastwards and cross north Gujarat coast by midnight of June 17 as a depression," the IMD said.
The sea will remain "rough to very rough" along and off the state coast on Monday, the MeT department said. It advised fishermen not to venture into the sea during the next 24 hours.
Kutch Collector Remya Mohan said five teams of the NDRF were stationed in the district to help in rescue and relief work. She said the salt-pan workers were also advised to avoid venturing into the sea waters.
The cyclone was earlier predicted to make landfall in Gujarat on June 13. However, it later began to move away from the state, sparing the coastline of any possible damage.
The IMD last Friday said the cyclone was likely to "recurve" and return to the coast in Kutch district as a weakened system.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
