Cyclone Biparjoy: Indian authorities declare alert in these states

Muscat: The Indian authorities has declared alert in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, western India and other coastal areas, after meteorologists warned of an increase in the strength of cyclone Biparjoy over the Arabian Sea during the next 24 hours. Oman official News Center said.

‏Adding that, the authorities has also asked the fishing areas to stop their operations for the next five days in the eastern and central Arabian Sea and in the regions of Saurastra and Kutch, before the arrival of the cyclone.

The Indian Meteorological Department, which classified Biparjoy as a "very severe storm" on Saturday, said the cyclone was about 620 km west-southwest of the financial capital, Mumbai.

"It is very likely that its strength will increase further and move towards the north-northeast region gradually over the next 24 hours," it added in a statement.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and the Gujarat State Disaster Response Force have been deployed to areas that are likely to be affected by the cyclone.

Unstable structures were removed and the Electricity Department are prepared for power outages.