MET issues white alert as Cyclone Ditwah moves away from Maldives

Cyclone Ditwah is expected to bring rain and thunderstorms to the central and southern atolls of Maldives over the next 24 hours, the Maldives Meteorological Service (MET) said on Saturday.

Sharing the latest updates on Cyclone Ditwah, the MET said the system is moving away from Maldives and is currently 875 kilometres northeast of Thuraakunu in Haa Alif Atoll.

The cyclone is presently off the north coast of Maldives and the southwestern Bay of Bengal and is expected to move northwest, further away from Maldives.

The system is forecast to reach the southern coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh early tomorrow morning.

The MET has issued a white alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms from Kaafu Atoll to Dhaalu Atoll. Winds in these areas may reach up to 40 mph.

More than 60 people have died in floods in neighbouring Maldives. At least 34 people have been killed in landslides and hundreds of thousands have been affected by the rains.