Hudhud lashes India, Vongfong pounds Japan, Atlantic storms strengthen

Hundreds of thousands evacuated in India, Japan, power knocked out in Bermuda

The Associated Press Posted: Oct 12, 2014 6:46 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 13, 2014 1:28 PM ET

A powerful cyclone that slammed into India's eastern seaboard weakened as it moved inland Monday, leaving at least eight dead in its wake. Rescue workers readied helicopters, aircraft and ships to carry out relief operations once daylight made clear the extent of damage.

In another storm lashing Asia, Typhoon Vongfong was downgraded to tropical storm as it hit the Japanese island of Kyushu after battering the southern island of Okinawa. At least 37 people were injured, and authorities advised 150,000 people to evacuate. Train service and flights were disrupted in Kyushu and the neighbouring island of Shikoku.

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Japan's Meteorological Agency said the storm could reach the Tokyo area by early Tuesday.

In India, Cyclone Hudhud moved 150 kilometres north-northwest of the city of Visakhapatnam, where it made landfall Sunday. Weather forecasters downgraded it to a tropical depression, with wind speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, considerably slower than on Sunday.

The death toll rose to eight, five in Andra Pradesh state and three in Orissa state, mostly caused by wall collapses and falling trees, Indian officials said.

It was still raining across the region, heavily in some places. Authorities plan to make an assessment of the damage caused as the day breaks and then decide on the contours of the relief operations.

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Experts said the storm was likely to have caused widespread destruction along nearly 300 kilometres of India's east coast. Communication services and electricity were cut off in some areas.

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