Sharjah24 - WAM: Cyclone Michaung barrelled into the southern Indian coast on Tuesday with intense winds, its arrival preceded by torrential rains and flooding that killed at least 13 people.

Tall waves crashed into southern coastal towns over the last two days as the cyclone approached, submerging entire villages and halting all transportation as more than 390,000 people felt its impact, authorities said.

Michaung made landfall near the beach town of Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh state with winds of up to 70 mph that later dropped slightly as the 'severe' category cyclone weakened, the Indian weather office said.

Trees were uprooted and at least 25 villages inundated as the cyclone traversed northwards and authorities evacuated more than 15,000 people to safety ahead of landfall, the Andhra Pradesh government said.