Bad weather from Cyclone Ditwah forces diversion of 4 international flights

Four flights have been diverted from Colombo to Thiruvananthapuram in the wake of bad weather and the impact of cyclonic storm Ditwah Thiruvananthapuram Airport officials statedEtihad Airways flight number EY394D A321 from Abu Dhabis Zayed International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo AUHCMB has been diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport TRV which arrived at 0344hrsAirAsia flight number AK047DA320 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo KULCMB was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport TRV which arrived at 0437 hrsSri Lankan Airlines flight number UL226A330 from Dubai International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo DXBCMB was diverted to TRV ATA 0755 hrsSri Lankan Airlines flight number UL218DA320 from Hamad International Airport Doha to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo DOH CMB was diverted to TRV which arrived at 0744 hrsSignificantly four flights were diverted involving four international airlinesThe cyclonic storm is currently located over the Southwest Bay of Bengal close to the Sri Lanka coast At present the system is centred 80 km from Trincomalee Sri Lanka 480 km from Puducherry and 580 km from ChennaiOver the past six hours the cyclone has moved at a speed of 8 km per hour The storm is likely to reach the Southwest Bay of Bengalnear the North Tamil Nadu Puducherry and South Andhra coastal areasby the day after tomorrow Prakhar Jain Managing Director Disaster Management Authority saidDue to its impact heavy rains are expected in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema tomorrow and the day after he addedFishermen are advised not to venture into the sea and farmers are requested to take necessary precautions during agricultural activitiesThe India Meteorological Department IMD on Friday issued an orange alert for north Tamil Nadu Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts as cyclonic storm Ditwah continued its northnorthwestward movement over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of BengalIn a press bulletin IMD said that the system which has intensified with strong winds and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall is expected to reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near the North Tamil Nadu Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30 prompting widespread advisories for coastal residents and fishermenAccording to the IMD Ditwah moved at a speed of 10 kmph during the past six hours and at 0230 hrs IST on Friday lay centred near latitude 81degN and longitude 812degE about 50 km south of Trincomalee 70 km northwest of Batticaloa 220 km north of Hambantota 460 km southsoutheast of Puducherry and 560 km southsoutheast of ChennaiThe cyclone is likely to continue tracking northnorthwestwards along the Sri Lanka coast and into the adjoining sea before emerging into the Bay of BengalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever