Cyclonic storm Asani likely to weaken as it curves away from the east coast

 Coming close to North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts, it is likely to lessen in intensity into a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night

Severe cyclonic storm Asani which packed gale-force winds up to 120 kmph, is likely to curve away from the coast and run parallel to the east coast in a north-northeast-ward direction and gradually weaken, the Met office said on Monday. Coming close to North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts, it is likely to lessen in intensity into a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night. The cyclone will not make landfall either in Odisha or Andhra Pradesh but will move parallel to the east coast and cause heavy rain, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra had said in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

At least 11 fishermen from Odisha, who were stranded for around eight hours in the rough sea due to the raging severe cyclone ‘Asani’, were rescued on Monday with help of the Indian Coast Guard, an official said. The fishermen had on May 7 gone to Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam to buy a fishing boat, and while returning from there, they were stuck in the sea around 4-5 km off the coast near Sonaput in Ganjam district after tSonaput in Ganjam district after their newly-bought vessel developed some technical glitches, he said…