Two people die in south India amid heavy rains ahead of cyclone Michaung

NEW DELHI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least two people died and another one was injured after a wall collapsed over them in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu amid heavy rains and gusty winds ahead of cyclone Michaung, confirmed a local official over the phone to Xinhua on Monday.

The incident occurred in the state capital Chennai's Kanathu area. Both the deceased were said to be construction workers hailing from the eastern state of Jharkhand.

The cyclone is expected to adversely affect areas in India's eastern coastal areas situated in the states of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

According to the latest bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclonic storm "Michaung" over the Bay of Bengal was active and had now intensified into a severe cyclonic storm.

Sensing the damages likely to be caused by the cyclone, the Tamil Nadu government declared a public holiday on Monday and Tuesday in the districts of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu.

It urged private companies' employees to work from home in the wake of Michaung. However, essential services such as milk supply and healthcare facilities would be allowed to operate as normal, said media reports.

As many as 21 teams of the he National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the states of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh to combat the situation arising out of Michaung cyclone.