Cyclone kills 33 in India with thousands in relief camps

In this grab made from video provided by KK Productions, a motorcycle is covered in debris from a house that collapsed when Cyclone Gaja hit the coast of southern India on Friday. Photo / via AP

The death toll from a cyclone that hit the coast of southern India has risen to 33, with the storm leaving a trail of massive damage to homes and roads and driving tens of thousands of people into relief camps, officials said Saturday.

India's navy assigned two ships and a helicopter for relief work. State authorities rushed drinking water, food and paramedics to nearly 82,000 people who took shelter in more than 400 state-run camps.

They were evacuated from areas in the path of Cyclone Gaja, which struck six districts of Tamil Nadu state on Friday with heavy rains and winds that reached 90 kilometres per hour.

In this grab made from video a man chops branches from a tree to clear a road after a cyclone struck the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. At least 33 people have been killed. Photo / via AP

Relief workers found 13 bodies Friday and an additional 20 on Saturday, said Edappadi Palaniswami, the state's top elected official. Most deaths were caused by flooding, house collapses and electrocution.

The cyclone uprooted 30,000 electricity poles and more than 100,000 trees, he said. Nearly 10,000 workers were trying to restore electricity supply to the worst-hit areas, he said.

Palaniswami said a large number of goats, deer and wild animals have perished in the flooding over the past two days.

Coconut trees over thousands of acres of farmland have been uprooted, said Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, a farmers' organization.

Tamil Nadu state is prone to cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal.

- AP