Half million flee Cyclone Hudhud in India and Typhoon Vongfong in Japan

Heavy rain and wind gusts ripped through a large swathe of India's eastern seaboard, uprooting trees and snapping power cables as a powerful cyclone swept through the Bay of Bengal and slammed into the southern city of Visakhapatnam, one of two storms pounding Asia yesterday.

In Japan, at least 35 people were injured as Typhoon Vongfong, packing winds of up to 180km/h and heavy rain, hit the southern island of Okinawa and was aiming at the next island of Kyushu, where authorities told 150,000 people to evacuate.

Cyclone Hudhud, described as "very severe" by India's meteorological department, had winds of 195km/h when the edge of the storm hit land, said Rear Admiral S.K. Grewal, chief staff officer of India's Eastern Naval Command. The wind speed dipped to 160km/h, but was expected to pick up again, he said.

Wreckage was strewn across Visakhapatnam. Most people heeded warnings to take refuge, but five were killed by falling trees and masonry.

Visakhapatnam, which was bearing the brunt of the cyclone's fury, is one of the largest cities in southern India and a naval base. At least 400,000 people were evacuated from the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states, and hundreds of shelters were set up to house them.

Experts said the storm was likely to cause widespread devastation along nearly 300km of India's coast. Television footage from Visakhapatnam showed downed electricity poles, uprooted trees and massive debris strewn in the streets.