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Mumbai Escapes Wrath of Cyclone That Pummeled India's West Coast

Anjana Pasricha

   NEW DELHI - A cyclone pounded India's west coast on Wednesday, sending
   tens of thousands of people in coastal villages and in low-lying slums
   in the country's financial capital, Mumbai, to seek safer sanctuary.
   There was major relief, though, as the country's financial capital
   escaped the wrath of the storm.

   As Cyclone Nisarga roared in from the Arabian Sea packing winds of more
   than 120 kilometers per hour, the biggest worries had centered on the
   preparedness of Mumbai, a city of 20 million people, which had not
   experienced a storm of this intensity in more than 70 years.

   The densely packed city -- where tall buildings contrast with
   tin-roofed shanties in sprawling slums -- experienced dark skies, heavy
   rains and strong, gusty winds for much of the day, but it suffered
   little damage, according to authorities.

   The Indian Meteorological Department said Wednesday evening that the
   storm was moving away and no longer posed a threat to the city.

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