Indian authorities began evacuating residents along the eastern coast as Cyclone Murasu approached, with landfall expected early on Tuesday, with around 2,000 people evacuated and preparations to move a further 30,000, Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters.

The states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are expected to bear the brunt of the storm; Murasu is forecast to be less intense than Arnab, which killed six people last week, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).