Deaths, Destruction, Chaos: Worst Cyclone in Decades Hits India

To date, six deaths have been reported and over 120 people are feared missing on vessels adrift in the Arabian Sea.

A disastrous cyclone hit the western regions of the Asian subcontinent on 16 May. Coined Tauktae, the cyclone has already passed through the southern Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa resulting in six deaths and the destruction of public property and many houses. 

The word "tauktae" literally means "gecko" in the Burmese language. It's the first tropical cyclone of the year in the Southeast Asia region.

India's Navy and Air Force have been deployed to help with relief operations as naval teams assist people in Kerala, while the Air Force has sent National Disaster Response Force teams to affected areas. The Navy has also deployed a submarine and Boeing P8I.

The Navy is conducting a major rescue operation in the Arabian Sea after Barge "P305" was officially declared sunk near the Mumbai High Field offshore oil rigs during the early hours of Tuesday. A total of 273 people were on board the barge, of which 146 have been rescued, while over 120 people are missing.

Tauktae is the strongest cyclone to hit the western regions of India since 1998, when the Gujarat cyclone left thousands of people dead and missing, and caused millions of dollars of damage. 

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© AP Photo / Rajanish Kakade

A woman helplessly watches her umbrella fly away in the wind during a heavy rain in Mumbai, India.

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© AFP 2023 / Punit Paranjpe

Villagers try to cross fallen down electricity cable on a bridge near Diu, after Cyclone Tauktae blasted ashore in western India late 17 May with fierce winds and drenching rains that turned streets into rivers, disrupting the country's response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

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© AFP 2023 / Sujit Jaiswal

Waves lash over onto a shoreline in Mumbai, as Cyclone Tauktae, packing ferocious winds and threatening a destructive storm, surge bore down on India, disrupting the country's response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

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© AP Photo / Rajanish Kakade

A taxi car that was damaged after a tree fell on it during a heavy rain in Mumbai, India.

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© REUTERS / Amit Dave

Women with their children leave their houses and evacuate to a safer place ahead of Cyclone Tauktae in Veraval in the western state of Gujarat, India.

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© AP Photo / Rafiq Maqbool

A fisherman waits for help as he tries to move a fishing boat to a safer ground on the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India.

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© AP Photo / Rafiq Maqbool

Buses are stranded on a waterlogged road during heavy rain in Mumbai, India. Cyclone Tauktae, roaring in the Arabian Sea was moving toward India's western coast on Monday as authorities tried to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people and suspended COVID-19 vaccinations in one state.

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© REUTERS / Amit Dave

A member of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) uses a megaphone to appeal to residents to move to safer place ahead of Cyclone Tauktae in Veraval in the western state of Gujarat, India.

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© REUTERS / Francis Mascarenhas

A damaged car is seen on a road after a tree fell on it due to strong winds caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai, India.

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© REUTERS / Francis Mascarenhas

Frontline workers help people cross a flooded street after heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai, India.

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Waves crash onto the road as Cyclone Tauktae batters Mumbai, India a still image taken from social media video.

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© REUTERS / Niharika Kulkarni

Women take shelter at a pedestrian overpass during heavy rains caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai, India.