Gujarat Cyclone: Aircraft AC-17 will carry 160 personnel of NDRF from Vijaywada to Gujarat.

Cyclonic storm Vayu is intensifying in the Arabian Sea and will turn into a severe cyclonic storm that is likely to hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday. To be disaster ready, aircraft AC-17 will carry about 160 personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Vijaywada to Gujarat to carry out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) missions, news agency ANI reported.

The aircraft was airborne from New Delhi to Vijayawada today to fly the rescue and relief team from there.

The entire Gujarat coastline, starting from Kutch to south Gujarat, has been put on high alert.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said people living in the coastal belt will be shifted to safer places.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of state and central agencies today.

Indian Coast Guard, Navy, Army, and Air Force units have been put on standby and surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial surveillance.

According to weather officials, Cyclone Vayu is likely to cause heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of Gujarat and storm surge of height of about 1.0- 1.5 m above the astronomical tides likely to inundate the low lying coastal areas of Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagarh, Diu, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts at the time of landfall.

(With Inputs From ANI)