Cyclone Vayu skirting close to Gujarat coast, says top Coast Guard official

Cyclone Vayu is skirting close to Gujarat coast but has not made landfall yet, said a top Coast Guard official here on Thursday.

Speaking to , DIG Coast Guard, Iqbal Singh Chauhan, said, "Right now Cyclone Vayu is skirting close to Gujarat coast, it is 150 km away from the coast. It has not made landfall yet."

"We are monitoring the movement of the cyclone. It was to hit in the morning but luckily for Gujarat, it has veered off," he added.

Chauhan further said, "We get information from IMD before any cyclone makes landfall. We have called back fishermen and ensured that there is no boat sailing in the sea. All fishing boats off Gujarat coast are back in the harbour."

Explaining about the present position of the cyclone, Chouhan said, "There is strong wind near the eye of the storm, the wind speed gets a bit slower towards the edge. Right now we have experienced the edge of the storm...The wind gust is 95 kmph here and IMD has warned that this cyclone will move in northwest and west direction. We are monitoring it closely and will continue to do the same for the next twelve hours."

"We are ready for any assistance to the state administration now and even after the storm passes away," he added.

"We have rescued a pregnant woman from Shiyal Bet Island with the help of a boat and have admitted her in the Rajula government hospital in Jafrabad. The state administration has also evacuated people to prevent any major loss," Chauhan informed.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed and are monitoring the cyclone for the next 12 hours with the help of data from the MeT department. We hope after 12 hours the storm will pass," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )