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BBC News
 Tamil
Nadu was hit by a cyclone just last month
A cyclone
that threatened havoc over southern India has weakened,
calming fears of widespread destruction.
Cyclone
04B had already hit Sri Lanka leaving thousands of people
homeless, and at least three people dead.
An alert
was raised in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which
the cyclone began crossing at 3.30 local time on Thursday
(22.30 GMT Wednesday).
But
the cyclone weakened into a storm, with no reports of significant
damage.
'No
casualties'
"It
has caused very little destruction here, with just a few
palm thatched huts damaged and no casualties being reported
from anywhere," Malik Ferozekhan, the District Collector
in the port of Tuticorin told Reuters new agency.
"It
is expected to continue to move in a westerly direction
and bring heavy rainfall to parts of southern Tamil Nadu
and Kerala states as it moves towards the Arabian Sea and
gradually weakens," Mr Ferozekhan said.
The
cyclone was causing winds of up to150 kph (90 mph) when
it hit Tuticorin, 575 km (360 miles) south of Madras.
But
later it reduced to winds of 40 kph, with mild drizzles.
Cyclones
are a common phenomenon along the eastern coast of India
at this time of year.
Last
month, at least five people were killed in Tamil Nadu after
a tropical cyclone swept across the state.
A cyclone
in the state of Orissa last year killed nearly 8,500 people
and left approximately 13 million others homeless.
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