A 58-year-old man died after an electric pole fell on him in Maharashtra's Alibaug as Cyclone Nisarga's monstrous winds pounded the coastal state today.
The victim Dashrath Babu Waghmare was rushing home when the electric pole fell on him. He died soon after. The incident happened in Umate village at 1.30 pm, soon after the severe cyclonic storm hit the state.
Heavy rains and strong winds battered Maharashtra as severe cyclonic storm Nisarga made landfall in Alibaug near Mumbai at 1pm this afternoon. Trees swayed, a number of electricity poles toppled and some trees were also uprooted in the popular getaway, around 100km from state capital Mumbai.
An important setting in colonial history, Alibaug, known for its sandy beaches, reported wind speed of 93 km per hour this afternoon. The coastal town houses bungalows of many celebrities besides forts and temples and started preparing for the severe storm last evening, evacuating residents from the coasts.
The rain stopped and wind speeds reduced drastically after a few hours and there was no extensive damage in Mumbai and other places except loss of canopy.
Movement of people was restricted in coronavirus-hit Mumbai's public places like beaches, parks and promenades along the coastline till tomorrow afternoon. Flight operations, which were suspended at the city's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, have also resumed.
More than 19,000 people across the state have been moved to safety.
This is the second cyclone to strike India in two weeks, after Cyclone Amphan, and the first to hit Mumbai in over 100 years.
