Heavy rains and winds unleashed by a cyclone over India's southeastern coast damaged hundreds of homes and uprooted trees, killing at least 33 people, officials and news reports said Saturday. Cyclone Thane struck Tamil Nadu state and the territory of Puducherry on Friday before weakening overnight, the India Meteorological Department said. The storm collapsed houses and downed power lines in four districts of Tamil Nadu, where 26 people were killed, said the state's Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha. The worst hit was Cuddalore, a district nearly 105 miles (170 kilometers) south of Chennai, the state capital, with 21 deaths as the wind speed reached 85 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour), Jayalalitha's statement said, adding that another five people were killed in nearby areas. The Press Trust of India news agency said that an additional seven people were killed in and around Puducherry, which is also known as Pondicherry.
