A storm killed at least eight people in southern India and left more than 25,000 people homeless, officials said on Tuesday. Hundreds of trees and electricity poles were uprooted by strong winds and heavy overnight rains triggered flooding in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh state. Six of the eight people killed were electrocuted, authorities said. Coast guard ships were searching for dozens of missing fishermen who did not return to shore on Monday. "All traffic, rail, road and air, has been suspended on the east coast for the next 24 hours in view of heavy rainfall predicted under the influence of the cyclone," said Shashank Goel, a top state disaster management official. Reuters quoted officials as saying that they were bracing for more rain in the region although the storm itself had substantially weakened. The airport in the port city of Visakhapatnam, 525 km (325 miles) east of the state capital, Hyderabad, was closed because part of the runway was flooded. --SP 1401 Local Time 1101 GMT
