Nilam hits TN and Andhra, 4 die

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Pratiksha Ramkumar & Arun Janardhanan TNN

Chennai: Cyclone Nilam crashed into Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday evening, bringing heavy showers and gusty winds but causing far less destruction that many feared, with images of superstorm Sandy still fresh.
At least one sailor was killed and five missing at sea and feared dead after a large oil tanker beached off the Chennai coast as the cyclone churned the sea waters. At least three persons were killed in rain-related mishaps in Andhra Pradesh.
The centre of the powerful cyclone made landfall between Mahabalipuram and Kalpakkam at 4pm, but strong winds with speeds of up to 80kmph that preceded the storm triggered huge waves and led to chaos across the city.
The captain of ‘MT Pratibha Cauvery’ ordered sailors to abandon the ship after the vessel lost anchor and drifted to within 50m of Besant Nagar beach, where it ran aground at 2.30pm and appeared to be in imminent danger of sinking.
A sailor said 22 crew members attempted to leave the stricken ship and head for the shore in a lifeboat. The overloaded vessel capsized in the choppy waters.
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With the Coast Guard nowhere in sight, fishermen attempted to rescue the sailors but could bring only 16 of them to shore. Rescuers recovered the body of a sailor around 7.30pm.
Met department officials said the cyclone, which started as a low pressure trough more than 10 days ago over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, rapidly dissipated after it crossed the coast and headed northwest towards Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone had been stationary through Tuesday night off the northeastern Sri Lankan coast near Trincomalee, but intensified early Wednesday morning and headed for the Tamil Nadu coast near Chennai.
In Chennai, powerful gusts of wind uprooted more than 200 trees and 50 electricity poles, blocking off many localities for several hours, as corporation staff and policemen struggled to clear the roads. The electricity board cut power supply in most parts of Chennai for up to eight hours.
While no loss of life was reported, schools and colleges in Chennai, which have been closed since Monday, will not reopen till Friday.
Before the storm made landfall, authorities evacuated nearly 4,000 people in Mahabaliburam and moved them to relief centres. Government offices and many private organisations closed at 3pm to reduce traffic congestion.
The cyclone brought little rain to the city, which recorded only 4mm of rainfall through Wednesday, there were showers in the southern districts. “Radar imaging shows little clouding over Chennai, but the situation could change at any time,” said IMD deputy director-general Y E A Raj.