Cyclone Nilam spares Chennai, 4 dead

Chennai, Nov 1 : Cyclonic storm Nilam, which threatened to hit the Chennai coast, spared the metropolis and made landfall near Mamallapuram, about 60 km south from here on Wednesday evening. Four persons were reported to have died during the day in different parts of the State, but a Revenue department official clarified that Kancheepuram district, where the storm crossed the coast between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., did not report even a single death. Nilam evoked fears of large-scale destruction among the people in coastal districts in north Tamil Nadu. Many areas in the northern belt received heavy rainfall on Tuesday night. However the intensity was not much during the day when Nilam made the last leg of its journey. At the time of crossing the coast, Chennai recorded the maximum wind speed of 75 km per hour and Kalpakkam 65 km per hour. Hereafter, it was expected to weaken rapidly after making northwestward movement. Schools and colleges in all coastal districts, including Chennai, are closed on Thursday. An oil tanker ran aground off Chennai on Wednesday hours before the cyclone was to make its landfall..The crew member drowned after a life boat carrying him and 21 colleagues capsized in choppy waters off Besant Nagar locality in south Chennai in high velocity winds just hours before the cyclone hit the coast. He was brought dead to a hospital while 15 others were rescued.They had attempted to escape using the life boat after the ship with 37 crew ran aground having been drifted by high velocity winds. Two others are in a serious condition, Chennai Port Trust officials said.