Cyclone Gaja death toll hits 45 in two days

A view of the damage caused by cyclone Gaja, after it hit Velankanni, in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, on Friday. Pic/PTI

The death toll due to cyclone Gaja has touched 45, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Sunday and appealed to leaders of all political parties to take part in the relief work.

He said the relief operations were going on a war footing in the districts affected by the storm and state ministers have been deployed in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Pudukottai to monitor it. The state government is collecting details about areas, which have been badly affected by the cyclone, Palaniswami told the media.

"In villages, lots of trees and standing crops have been damaged, affecting the livelihood of farmers. The extent of damage is being evaluated," the chief minister said.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the family of each of the deceased, while those with severe injuries would be provided with Rs 1 lakh each.

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