Tropical cyclone headed for southern India after causing little damage in Sri Lanka

The Burevi tropical cyclone is headed towards southern India, authorities said on Thursday, after it slammed Sri Lanka's east coast earlier this week but caused little damage.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a "red" warning to parts of the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and said the cyclone is expected to hit on Thursday or early on Friday. Another tropical cyclone killed at least 23 people in Tamil Nadu last week. "Very to heavy rainfall is expected in southern Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu," the IMD said.

India's weather office said it expects damage to thatched huts, and that power and communication lines could be affected due to breaking tree branches. It also expects the storm to hit paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards. The warning comes after Burevi's packing winds of up to 90 kph (56 mph) hit Sri Lanka late on Wednesday but with little fallout.

"District disaster management units are reporting that no major damage has been caused by the cyclone," said Pradeeep Kodippili, assistant director at the country's disaster management centre. Authorities in Sri Lanka had evacuated more than 75,000 people, most of them from the Trincomalee area, before the Burevi cyclone hit.

But Kodippili said cyclonic conditions were still prevalent in the north with heavy rains and strong gusts of wind and that naval and fishing communities had been asked not to go out to sea.