Cyclone 'Titli' leaves eight dead in AP, causes widespread damage
Amaravati (AP), Oct 11: The "very severe" cyclonic storm, "Titli", left eight people dead, besides causing widespread damage in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh Thursday, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said.
The cyclone threw normal life out of gear as heavy to very heavy rains started lashing the two districts since late Wednesday night.
Eight people were killed in different storm-related incidents.
While a 62-year-old woman died at Gudivada Agraharam village after an uprooted tree fell on her, a 55-year-old man died in a house collapse at Rotanasa village in Srikakulam district, the SDMA said.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) informed that six fishermen, who had put out to sea, were killed.
Of the 67 fishing boats that had ventured into the sea over the last few days from Kakinada in East Godavari district, 65 had returned to the shore safely, the CMO said.
Efforts were on to bring back the remaining two boats safely, it added in a release.
The road network suffered extensive damage in Srikakulam district, while the power distribution network was also vastly affected.
More than 2,000 electric poles were uprooted by strong winds.
The Eastern Power Distribution Company that caters to the electricity needs of the north coastal districts reported that the power distribution system for 4,319 villages and six towns was affected in Srikakulam district.
Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was also hit at places like Tekkali due to uprooted trees.
The telecommunication network in the district has also been hit.
The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway.
A few express trains were diverted via other regions.
Horticulture crops suffered extensive damage in Srikakulam district while paddy suffered damage in Vizianagaram.
Coconut plantations, banana and mango trees were the worst hit in the "very severe" cyclonic storm, according to a preliminary report prepared by the SDMA.
The Palasa, Vajrapukottur, Nandigam areas recorded 28.02 cm of rainfall followed by Kotabommali (24.82 cm), Santabommali (24.42 cm), Itchapuram (23.76 cm) and Tekkali (23.46 cm).
The other mandals in Srikakulam district recorded rainfall ranging from 2 cm to 13.26 cm, the CMO said.
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Indian vessel 'Jag Laadki' carrying over 80,000 MT crude oil reaches Gujarat's Mundra Port
Ahmedabad, Mar 18 (PTI): Indian-flagged tanker 'Jag Laadki', carrying around 80,886 metric tonnes (MT) of crude oil, arrived at Mundra Port in Gujarat on Wednesday amid the West Asia conflict, officials said.
A day earlier, LPG carrier 'Nanda Devi' arrived at Vadinar port in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district, carrying 46,500 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) navigating through the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, another vessel - 'Shivalik' - carrying LPG docked at Mundra Port.
Adani Ports, which operates Mundra Port, said in a statement that the crude oil carried by Jag Laadki was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and loaded at Fujairah Port there.
"Measuring 274.19 metres in length overall and 50.04 metres in beam, the tanker boasts a deadweight tonnage of approximately 164,716 tonnes and a gross tonnage of about 84,735 tonnes," it said.
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The tanker's arrival at the Mundra Port underscores the facility's critical role in handling substantial crude imports, it said.
"This delivery supports major refinery relies on such shipments to maintain operations and bolster India's energy security during supply disruptions in the region," Adani Ports added.
The port provided the safe berthing of the vessel and maritime coordination in safeguarding vital energy lifelines of India, it said.
Fujairah Port in UAE faced drone and missile attacks during the ongoing Israel-US and Iran war.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas and 60 per cent of LPG needs. Before the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran's retaliation, more than half of India's crude imports, about 30 per cent of gas and 85-90 per cent of LPG imports came from Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The conflict has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transit route for Gulf energy supplies. While India has partly offset crude supply disruptions by sourcing oil from countries including Russia, gas supplies have been curtailed to industrial users and LPG availability to commercial establishments such as hotels and restaurants has been reduced.
