An Indian fisherman stands near boats on the shore as waves break on the Bay of Bengal coast in Chennai, India. - AP Photo.

HYDERABAD (India): A severe cyclone packing winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour tore into India's southeastern coast on Friday, killing at least 16 people, a senior official said.

Cyclone Thane lashed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu state and the territory of Pondicherry early on Friday, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

'Fourteen persons have died in Tamil Nadu and two in Pondicherry. Though the death toll may not go up drastically, there is a possibility of some more deaths,' Marri Shashidhar Reddy, vice-chairman of NDMA, said.

The damage and loss of life in these two places was mainly caused by strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surges that led to the collapse of old, rickety buildings.

Indian meteorological officials predicted 'heavy to very heavy' rainfall over places in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala and Karnataka during the next 24 hours. - AFP