India closes schools, evacuates thousands as cyclone Montha approaches

NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (AP): Indian authorities have shut schools and evacuated tens of thousands of people from low-lying coastal areas as the country's eastern seaboard braces for the impact of Cyclone Montha later Tuesday.

Swirling over the Bay of Bengal, Montha has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, and is expected to make landfall late Tuesday near the port city of Kakinada in southern Andhra Pradesh, the weather office said in its latest bulletin.

The storm hovered around 160 kilometers (99 miles) southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

It is expected to intensify, bringing winds of 90 kph to 110 kph (55-68 mph) as it pushes toward the country's eastern coastline.

The weather office issued so-called red alerts - the highest level of weather warnings - for 19 districts in Andhra Pradesh, forecasting extremely heavy rains. The neighboring states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerela and Karnataka are also expected to receive moderate to heavy showers.

Disaster teams in Andhra Pradesh have so far evacuated 38,000 people from low-lying areas to relief camps, according to a state disaster official. The state government estimates around 4 million people to be in vulnerable zones and likely to be affected by the cyclone.