A powerful cyclone has already started wreaking havoc in Yemeni waters, killing at least two people and injuring nine others on the island of Socotra as it tracks steadily towards the country's coastline.

Cyclone Chapala, which has formed in the Arabian Sea, destroyed more than 100 homes on the island on Sunday, as it also uprooted trees and sank fishing boats.

The US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) reports that Chapala is expected to make landfall at about 06:00 GMT on Tuesday morning.

The JTWC reported that the storm system was tracking a path that would take it close to the Yemeni port city of Mukalla, which has a population of about 300,000 people.

hapala is expected to dump up to 500mm of rain on Mukalla - more than seven times its average yearly rainfall of 70mm.

On Socotra on Sunday, about 9,000 people were transported from their homes to safer areas by authorities, said Socotra Deputy Governor Ramzi Mahfouz. The plight of those facing the disaster has been compounded by a shortage of fuel on the island that the island has faced over the last 20 days, he added.

Mohammed Salmein, a resident of the island, said locals had not seen such strong winds and rainfall in decades.

"We are expecting a true disaster to befall us," he said.

Socotra's island is situated in the Indian Ocean, about 368km off the coast of Yemen's mainland. It is known for its unique vegetation and ecosystems, including rare dragon blood trees.