Lakshadweep Islands remain on high alert as Cyclone Ockhi continues to move towards it. As of 5.30 am Friday morning, the cyclone lay over southeast Arabian Sea, some 110 km north-northeast of Minicoy and 290 km southeast of Amini Divi, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a release. The IMD said the cyclonic system is very likely to intensify further during next 24 hours and make a landfall on Lakshadweep Islands tomorrow. – 24 people stranded at sea sighted by Indian Navy. Efforts underway to rescue all 24: 07 of them have been picked up by MV ENERGY ORPHEUS, 04 being rescued by INS JAMUNA, 03 rescued by trawler in area, 02 rescued by ALH (progressing further rescue of 06 more), 02 under rescue by MV KUN LUN SHAN – India Coast Guard ships have also rescued 3 fishermen off Vizhinjam (Kerala coast) this morning. Efforts are on to rescue another 5 fishermen sighted off Quilon (Kerala). – Eight fishermen floating in water have been rescued by Navy’s Advanced Light Helicopter off Trivandrum (40 km into sea). – Boeing P8I Aircraft deployed at first light from INS Rajali this morning sights 7 survivors hanging on to a capsized boat, 25 miles west of Trivandrum. Aircraft drops life raft in the vicinity and reported the exact position. Ships in area are being diverted to render assistance: Navy – Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaks to Director General, NDRF, and reviews the situation in areas affected by Cyclone Ockhi. NDRF teams have already been moved to the affected areas. More teams are on standby to respond to any further emergencies. MHA is also closely monitoring the situation – Schools in Chennai, Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur and Thiruvarur are closed today. – Latest on rescue operations: Five Navy ships have been deployed from Kochi. Two ships are on standby in Lakshadweep. Two Coast Guard ships each have been deployed from Kochi and Tuticorin. P8I aircraft, Navy Dornier and Coast Guard Dornier are also airborne for search and rescue operations. Helicopter are on standby with divers – At least seven people have died and five fishermen are missing in SriLanka as a tropical storm hit the country. – At 22:00 hrs, ICGS Samarth sailed from Kochi for rescue. All 7 units are directed to work on rescue along and off Kerala coast. Ship C-427 around Vilinjam also on rescue operation. In addition, the Eastern Naval Command will launch P8I Maritime Patrol aircraft, says Defence Minister N Sitharaman. – Southern Railway said it has partially cancelled some trains in Tirunelveli-Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram sector. – Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held discussions through video conferencing with the Collectors of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alapuzha, Pathnamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam districts and gave them necessary directions to take steps by coordinating various government agencies. – The state reported four rain related deaths, including an elderly couple who were electrocuted when they came into contact with a snapped live wire in front of their house at Kattakada near Thiruvananthapuram. – In Kerala, the state government put the official machinery on a high alert and ordered evacuation of people living within 100 metres from the coast and also sought help from the Navy, Coast Guard and the Air Force to assist people in distress. – Besides Kanyakumari, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts were among those battered by the rains. – Educational institutions remained closed in southern districts such as Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Viruthunagar and Thanjavur. – Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management RB Udhaya Kumar, deputed to Kanyakumari to take up relief work on a war footing, said people in the affected areas have been shifted to safer places. He said nearly 3,000 electric poles have been uprooted in the district, affecting power supply. Three men and a woman were killed when trees fell on them in different areas in Kanyakumari district. – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said in Chennai state ministers and senior IAS officials have been assigned to affected districts to monitor relief work. Also, electricity personnel with necessary equipment have been rushed to restore power distribution that was affected due to trees falling over electric poles. – The Tamil Nadu government has already deployed state and national disaster response force teams in Kanyakumari district, which bore the brunt of the rain fury. Extreme weather events: India 6th most vulnerable country – The Southern Naval Command was also gearing up for any humanitarian assistance and disaster relief that may be required in view of the cyclone in the southern parts of Kerala, a Defence release said. – A report said Navy has deployed four ships and two aircraft to assist in the search and rescue of fishermen onboard six boats and a marine Engineering vessel reported to be missing in the sea near Vizhinjam. – Vizhinjam coastal police said they received information that at least 57 fishermen, who had put out to sea from Thumba to Pozhiyur since Wednesday, were yet to return. 29traditional boats which had set out from Poonthura were also out in the sea, police said. – Fishermen in coastal regions in southern parts of the two states have been advised not to venture into sea for the next 24 hours. – The IMD has said that gale wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph was very likely along and off south Kerala during next 48 hours and along and off south Tamil Nadu during next 24 hours. – Meanwhile, torrential rains caused by Cyclone Ockhi continued to pound southern districts of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala crippling life and claiming at least eight lives — four each in the two states. Both the states are on high alert as the cyclone was forecast to dump more rains in south Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the next few hours. – Cyclone Ockhi has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and is moving westnorthwestwards with a speed of 17 kmph. It is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards across Lakshadweep Islands during the next 24 hours and then move north/northeastwards during the subsequent 48 hours, the IMD said.