Severe cyclonic storm Murasu begins making landfall near Ongole in India's Andhra Pradesh

Severe cyclonic storm Murasu began making landfall on India's eastern coast near Ongole, in Andhra Pradesh state, early on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The storm caused damage in coastal areas of eastern India after landfall.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as cited by Al Jazeera, the storm came ashore near Ongole in Prakasam district at about 1am local time on Tuesday (19:30 GMT on Monday, 2 November). Murasu formed over the Bay of Bengal, Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Murasu is the second cyclone to strike the region in a week, after Cyclone Arnab. According to Al Jazeera, Arnab caused heavy damage in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Odisha days earlier.

Evacuations and damage

Authorities evacuated thousands of people ahead of the storm, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, said evacuations began on Monday. He said authorities planned to move about 30,000 people to safety. According to Al Jazeera, Jain told Reuters that no deaths or injuries had been reported so far.

Al Jazeera reported that the storm uprooted trees, toppled electricity poles and flooded low-lying areas. Krishnamma, a fisherman from Kothapatnam in Prakasam district, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that about 400 families from his village had been moved out before the storm hit. "This is the most dangerous cyclone we have witnessed in the last 14 years," he told PTI, according to Al Jazeera.

Schools were closed in at least eight districts of Andhra Pradesh as a precaution, according to Deutsche Welle.

The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rain across several districts through the day, Al Jazeera reported. The IMD forecast that Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu would be worst hit. Murasu is also bringing heavy rain to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Odisha.

What is disputed

Accounts differ on the scale of damage. Jain told Reuters that some trees and electricity poles had been uprooted, according to Al Jazeera. PTI, also cited by Al Jazeera, reported thousands of trees felled and hundreds of power poles damaged in Prakasam and Bapatla districts, along with wrecked fishing boats, damaged crops and many areas underwater. The two accounts may reflect different times or areas. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not clarify this, and the PTI figures are not independently corroborated.

What each side says

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on X that he had spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and assured him of central assistance. "I assured him that the Central Government will provide all kinds of assistance and support," he wrote. He added that national and state disaster response teams were already on the ground.

What is not yet known

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include updated casualty figures, a confirmed evacuation total, wind speeds, the storm's track after landfall, power outage figures or estimated losses.

Analysis

Murasu arrives days after Cyclone Arnab, according to reports, which could add strain on communities and services already affected. The early official account of no deaths or injuries came soon after landfall. It may change as more information emerges. The gap between official and PTI damage descriptions could narrow or widen once fuller assessments are published. Key indicators to watch include confirmed evacuation numbers, power restoration, crop and fishing losses, and the storm's path toward Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The scale of central and state support will likely depend on those assessments. None of these outcomes can yet be confirmed.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.