India's southern coast braces for Cyclone Murasu

India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh is bracing for Cyclone Murasu, which is likely to make landfall around midnight Monday.

The new cyclone comes days after five people were killed when Cyclone Arnab made landfall along India's southern coast.

In an update on Monday, the India Meteorological Department said severe cyclonic storm Murasu is likely to move northwestward and cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast with wind speeds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour (62-68 mph) between Nellore and Narsapur, near the Ongole region, between midnight Monday and the early hours of Tuesday.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to prepare for the cyclone. He said estimates suggest that, due to the impact of the cyclone, 6,000 to 8,000 electricity poles may be damaged, posing a “severe threat to power supply.”

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan wrote on US social media company X that the cyclone is set to have a severe impact on the state's Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna districts.

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of people from low-lying areas to safe locations.