Cyclone Ockhi moving away from Kerala coast, heavy rains lash Thiruvananthapuram, Kanyakumari

The IMD director said they had issued warnings about the cyclone on Wdnesday itself and alerted the fishermen. “We had issued warnings yesterday itself. We have told fishermen not to go out to sea,” he said.

There were widespread damage to property in Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Lakshwadeep islands, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts as many trees got uprooted and power lines crashed to the ground. Schools have been ordered to shut down in the state capital.

Central Kerala districts like Ernakulam and Kottayam are likely to see thundershowers. Pilgrims travelling to the Sabarimala shrine, which opened doors earlier this month, are likely to be affected.

Road traffic, especially on the national highway between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, are likely to face disruptions, while a number of passenger trains between Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram have been cancelled.

Long-distance express trains like Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express and the Kanyakumari-Bengaluru Island Express have been rescheduled. These trains, scheduled to depart from Kanyakumari in the early morning hours, will now depart in the afternoon.