[1/7] A lifeguard patrols Juhu beach, during a red flag alert due to rough seas caused by cyclone Biparjoy, in Mumbai, India, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Francis MascarenhasMUMBAI, June 12 (Reuters) - A storm off India's west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India's western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the Indian weather department said on Monday. "Rescue and relief teams of the Coast Guard, Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft have been kept ready on standby," it said. In neighbouring Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority said instructions were being given to take precautionary measures in southern and southeastern parts that may be affected. A 1998 cyclone killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Gujarat.

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Persons: Francis Mascarenhas MUMBAI, Biparjoy, Rajendra Jadhav, Asif Shahzad, Sumit Khanna, Sakshi Dayal, Shivam Patel, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Philippa Fletcher, Jonathan Oatis, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, Adani, Indian Coast Guard, Key Singapore, Oil, Gas, Vedanta Ltd, Response Force, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, National Disaster Management Authority, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Gujarat, Pakistan, Mandvi, Karachi, Fishermen, Mundra, Tuna, Kandla, Key, Dubai, Gujarat Pipavav, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu