India Moves Tens of Thousands to Shelters as Very Severe Cyclone Arnab Approaches Eastern Coast

India has begun moving tens of thousands of people away from its eastern coastline as Cyclone Arnab gathers strength and closes in on the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The storm has grown stronger since Monday and is forecast to reach land by Wednesday morning. The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for both states, describing Arnab as a "very severe" cyclonic storm. The system was positioned just 260km (160 miles) southeast of Visakhapatnam, the most populous city in Andhra Pradesh.

Forecasters expect the cyclone to swing northwest and cross the coast by about 11:30am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Sustained winds of 115 to 125km/h (71 to 78mph) are predicted at landfall, with gusts reaching as high as 140km/h (87mph).

Arnab developed over the Bay of Bengal, one of the main regions in the world where tropical cyclones form. Storms from the area often strike India's eastern coast.

According to Andhra Pradesh's disaster management authority, more than 12 million people live along the storm's projected route, which carries it inland and northward across the country.

By Monday night, nearly 50,000 people had been taken to shelters from vulnerable parts of Andhra Pradesh. The authority estimates that about 400,000 people in the state need to be evacuated. Its managing director, Prakhar Jain, told the Reuters news agency: "Evacuation is continuing."

Transport has also been disrupted. Railway authorities said on social media that at least 12 trains had been cancelled in eastern India, while services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday.

In neighbouring Odisha, officials plan to move 48,000 people to safety, according to the local newspaper The Hindu.

The storm's effects could also reach beyond India. Nepalese authorities have urged tourists to avoid high-altitude areas, warning that Arnab may bring heavy rain, snowstorms and avalanches to the Himalayas from Thursday night through Saturday. The advisory follows a Himalayan flash flood in August that killed about 1,500 people in Nepal.