The Indian Meteorological Authority said that the strong cyclone "Nivar" made landfall on the southern coast of India in the early hours of Thursday morning. The hurricane was accompanied by strong winds and torrential rain.
Nivar made landfall at 3:05 am (2135 GMT) near Puducherry, packing gusts of up to 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour, uprooting trees and bringing torrential rain of up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) in a few hours in some parts.
The winds subsequently slowed to 100 kilometers per hour as they moved north and northwest into Tamil Nadu.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from vulnerable areas along the Puducherry and Tamil Nadu coasts to shelters before the onset of the cyclone.
The meteorological authority warned of the rising sea waves and asked fishermen not to go out during the day.
"The earlier accurate forecasting and the evacuation of several hundred thousand people helped avert any loss of life", authorities said Thursday, as rescuers worked to restore power and clear fallen trees.
Thousands of emergency personnel were deployed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry as authorities began restoring power that had been suspended to prevent damage to the electricity grid.
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