India has evacuated more than 135,000 people on the country's west coast ahead of the arrival of “extremely severe” cyclone Tauktae, which will make landfall on Monday with winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour as the country records the highest number of covid cases -19 of the world. “It is highly likely that it will move towards the north-northwest and reach the coast of (the state of) Gujarat on the afternoon of the 17th,” the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest forecast.. Tauktae, which is currently over the Arabian Sea, is expected to cross the coast of the western state by nightfall with sustained winds of between 144 and 165 kilometers per hour, and gusts that can reach 185 kilometers per hour, according to IMD..

The country's meteorological authority forecasts extensive material damage in the region, and in addition to Gujarat, the cyclone will also affect other regions such as western Maharashtra.. The IMD has also issued an alert for floods that could reach three meters in several coastal areas, and has called for the suspension of all fishing activities and the evacuation of residents from the most affected areas.

A senior Gujarat government official, Pankaj Kumar, said in a statement that the authorities have already evacuated more than 135,000 people before the arrival of the cyclone.. The Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) indicated on Twitter that it has deployed 101 teams in six states to assist in evacuation and rescue efforts.. “Continuing preparations for Cyclone Tauktae, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed two C-130-J aircraft and one An-32 on Sunday May 16 to transport 167 troops and 16.5 tons of NDRF equipment. from Kolkata to Ahmedabad,” the main city of Gujarat, the Defense Ministry said today..

The cyclone comes at a critical time in India, which continues to record the highest numbers of infections in the world with 281,386 cases this Monday and more than 4,000 deaths, although the country has experienced a drop from records set two weeks ago.. The Indian coast is often hit by cyclones, one of the last being last December, when Burevi hit the south of the country, killing at least seven people and damaging hundreds of homes.. In May 2020, super cyclone Amphan left more than a hundred people dead in India and Bangladesh, in one of the worst events of its kind in years.