Cyclone Burevi Weakens After Bringing Heavy Rain to Southern India

CHENNAI – A cyclone that brought heavy rain to parts of southern India and neighboring Sri Lanka has weakened into a “practically stationary” deep depression, India’s weather office said on Friday.

It was not immediately clear how much damage the rains caused in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which had declared a government holiday in some areas and urged people to stay at home ahead of the cyclone.

“[A] deep depression over Gulf of Mannar…is close to Ramanathapuram district coast, remained practically stationary,” the Indian meteorological department said in a statement, referring to the state’s southeast.

A cyclone that lashed Tamil Nadu last week killed 23, uprooting trees and cutting power and communication links.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; editing by Clarence Fernandez)