People living in low-lying areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were evacuated to safety on Sunday as the archipelago experienced strong winds and heavy rainfall in view of Cyclone Asani, PTI reported.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted that the storm will intensify into a deep depression in the next 24 hours and further into a cyclonic storm on March 22.

#CycloneAsani
Observed and forecast track alongwith cone of uncertainty of depression over
southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea on 0300 UTC of 20th
March 2022. (IST=UTC+0530)
Source: IMD @MediaRN_ANI @jitendra_narain pic.twitter.com/8DUB61iTZ8

— Andaman and Nicobar Admn (@Andaman_Admin) March 20, 2022

Named by Sri Lanka, the storm is expected to move along and off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands towards the coasts of Bangladesh and North Myanmar. The cyclone poses no direct threat to mainland India, according to The Indian Express.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration said that members of the National Disaster Response Force were deployed at different places to carry out search and rescue operations.

All schools and colleges have been directed to remain closed on Monday as a precautionary measure.

The administration has also cancelled the scheduled sailing of vessels between Port Blair and nearby islands, according to India Today. Fishermen have been strongly advised not to venture into Andaman Sea and adjoining South East Bay of Bengal.

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