Cyclone warning issued along western coast

NEW DELHI: India's weather office has warned residents along parts of the country's western coast that Tropical Cyclone Phet is likely to cause heavy rains and gale-speed winds.

The Meteorological Department says that Phet is centered in the Arabian Sea, 660 miles (1,060 kilometers) southwest of the Kutch area of Gujarat state.

The weather office said on Thursday morning it was likely the storm would gain strength over the next 24 hours and move closer to the coast of Oman before returning to Pakistan's west coast and the Gujarat coast.

It warns of heavy rains and winds of speeds reaching 50 miles (85 kilometers) an hour starting Friday.