Over three lakh evacuated as Cyclone Vayu inches closer

People watch as a huge wave crashes near boats on the Arabian Sea coast in Veraval. Pic/AP

Ahmedabad: As Gujarat and Diu brace to face "very severe" cyclone Vayu, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said authorities have evacuated about 3.1 lakh people living in the low-lying areas and the NDRF has pre-positioned 52 teams for rescue and relief operations. The Indian Coast Guard, Navy, Army and the Air Force units have also been put on standby while aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial surveillance.

Amit Shah tweeted, "Gujarat has evacuated about 3 lakh people and Diu has evacuated over 10,000 people from low-lying areas to safer places...(the) MHA is in continuous touch with state govts/UT and central agencies. The NDRF has pre-positioned 52 teams equipped with boats, tree-cutters, telecom equipments etc."

As many as 52 teams of the National Disaster Management Relief Force (NDRF), comprising around 45 rescuers each, have been moved to the state, while 10 columns of the Indian Army have been kept on standby. Warships and aircraft of the Indian Navy have been kept on standby as well.

A general alert has been sounded across 10 district in Gujarat as wind speeds are likely to touch 170 km per hour, a Home Ministry official said.

Cyclone Vayu has turned into a "very severe" cyclone and it is expected that its impact will continue to be strong for 24 hours even after its landfall, the official said. Over 3 lakh people from vulnerable areas in Gujarat and Diu are being shifted to around 700 cyclone and relief shelters.

Top stories of the day

• 'Our whole life destroyed, why should he live?'
• Mumbai: Andheri colony locals shudder at tree breaks
• Rain, wind make cladding around Gandhi mural fall on man, killing him
• Esplanade should be fixed, not demolished, say heritage committee
• Parts of Mumbai may face 10-15 percent water cut till June 14
• Mumbai police help disaster management gain traction on Twitter
• Maoists arrested in May 1 Gadchiroli attack case sent to police custody
• SGNP hosts firefly show despite environmentalists' red flag
• Cabinet expansion: Shiv Sena loyalists likely to miss ministerial berth
• 'Exclude marks given to SSC students for art, sports too'
• Uran graffiti man was in touch with terror suspects, say cops
• Man beheads nephew to 'appease deities' for bountiful harvest
• Rare photos of Mukesh Ambani with wife Nita, parents Dhirubhai and Kokilaben you should not miss!
• Pune police raid 83-year-old activist's Ranchi home
• Ola driver returning customer's wallet restores man's faith in humanity
• Aaditya Thackeray: The young Shiv Sena leader turns 29 today
• Aaditya Thackeray interacts with officials at BMC headquarters in SoBo
• Gujarat on alert as cyclonic storm Vayu moves towards coast
• Heavy showers and cyclone alert in Mumbai!
• Have you seen these fabulous pictures of Disha Patani?
• Bandra Diaries: Ananya Panday, Diana Penty, Krystle D'souza, Nidhhi Agerwal spotted
• Janhvi Kapoor, Mira Rajput, Kriti Sanon sweat it out at gym in Bandra
• Juhu Diaries: Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan look from the next film goes viral
• Shahid Kapoor reveals an intimate detail about his relationship with wife Mira
• Stuart Broad's Nottingham pub does not revolve around cricket
• World Cup 2019: India hope to manage injuries and weather against NZ
• Sania Mirza slams 'cringeworthy' TV ads hyping the Indo-Pak WC match
• Rishabh Pant got nod for WC because he is lefty, says Sanjay Bangar

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates