Ferocious winds and torrential rain lashed India’s southeastern coast after a cyclone made landfall, killing at least three people before the storm weakened, officials said.

Cyclone Arnab hit southeastern Andhra Pradesh state on Wednesday as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, with winds of 125-135km/h (77-84mph) and gusts reaching 150km/h in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

Torrential rain was recorded, as much as 30 centimetres (nearly 12 inches) in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states, the IMD said, with the storm weakening into a “deep depression” throughout Wednesday afternoon.

About 50,000 people were told to move to safer areas in Andhra Pradesh and another 48,000 in neighbouring Odisha.