Authorities in India and Pakistan have urged people to stay away from the coast as more than 1 million people brace for the arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy, which has increased in strength as it prepares to make landfall.
In a warning on Sunday, India's Meteorological Department said it recorded “phenomenal” conditions over the east-central Arabian Sea with winds of up to 170km per hour.
Fishing communities in the western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and other coastal areas have been advised to stop all activity for five days.
People in Pakistan were also urged to stay away from the coastline with the cyclone set to intensify.
Biparjoy means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali.
More than 1.8 million people across India and Pakistan are thought to be in the path of the cyclone, according to the Pacific Disaster Centre.
“People should be aware of weather conditions and avoid going to the beach whereas fishermen should avoid boating in the open sea,” said Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.
Authorities in Karachi have banned the public from accessing beaches, as well as fishing, sailing and swimming in the sea, Pakistan's Dawn News reported.
However, the paper said “considerable” crowds were pictured at Karachi beaches despite the restrictions.
The storm formed over the Arabian Sea early this month, with Biparjoy being declared a severe cyclone by Oman on June 7, where authorities warned locals to stay away from coastal areas.
India's meteorological department said it will very likely move north until Wednesday morning when it will move north-east towards Pakistan.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the districts most likely to be affected by the storm.
Unstable structures, such as hoardings, have been removed and the electricity department is on standby for power supply disruptions, Reuters reported.
It will hit the coast between the Indian state of Gujarat and Pakistan as a “very severe cyclonic storm” with wind gusts of up to 150km per hour the department said in an update on Sunday.
The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Sindh province has said authorities are prepared to relocate eight to nine thousand “vulnerable” families if needed.
Dozens have already been killed in heavy rains in northern Pakistan.
At least 12 people were buried alive after the roofs and walls of their houses collapsed,” Taimur Ali Khan, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority told AFP.
The storms hit four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Saturday, with 15 people killed in Bannu district, including five siblings aged between two and 11.
More than 140 people were injured and more than 200 livestock died, he said.
