8 dead, 90 fishermen missing as cyclone Ockhi hits India

Eight people have died in coastal Kerala and Tamil Nadu and nearly 90 fishermen are missing as a depression above the Bay of Bengal turned into a cyclonic storm. Cyclone Ockhi, meteorologists say, is heading for Lakshadweep and is unlikely to make landfall in Tamil Nadu or Kerala. As of this morning, Cyclone Ockhi is hovering 160 km east of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea. Schools in seven districts across the two states have been closed. In Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu, strong winds uprooted more than 500 trees, snapped power lines and damaged settlements close to the sea. Heavy rain is likely to continue.