Hurricane Irma weakens to tropical depression

Irma, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it advanced through the southeastern US, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) announced.

At 11 p.m. (local time), Irma packed maximum sustained winds of up to 55 km per hour and was located 10 km south of Columbus, and 150 km south-southwest of Atlanta, both in the state of Georgia, reports Efe news.

The cyclone was moving at a speed of 24 km per hour towards the northwest, and it is expected to move into Alabama soon and then into western Tennessee by early Tuesday.

So Far, at least 30 people have died since Irma made landfall in the Caribbean Islands on September 6 and has recorded winds of up to 295 km per hour, which converted it into a powerful category 5 hurricane.

In the US, where it made landfall in Florida state on Sunday, has caused heavy flooding, left about 10 dead and about 6.5 million households without electricity.

--IANS

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