Three killed as cyclonic storm nears Andhra Pradesh

Cyclonic storm Ogni is closing in on the mainland between Ongole and Machilipatnam, 350 km southeast of the state capital, Hyderabad, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

"Heavy rains are lashing the coastal district towns with wind speeds of over 50 kilometres per hour under the impact of the cyclone," said a duty officer at the Visakhapatnam cyclone warning centre in the state.

All flights from and to Visakhapatnam were cancelled.

State disaster management officials said that more than 20,000 people from low-lying areas in the coastal districts of Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna have already been shifted to more than 75 relief camps, which had been set up in advance.