SALEM: The death toll due to cyclone Gaja, which hit Tamil Nadu's coastal districts on Friday, has touched 45, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Saturday. He said the relief operations were going on a war footing in the districts affected by the cyclonic storm. The cyclone left a trail of destruction in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts, damaging houses, huts and crops. The chief minister said state ministers have been deployed in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Pudukottai to monitor it.

"In villages, lots of trees and standing crops have been damaged, affecting the livelihood of farmers. The extent of damage is being evaluated. Till now, 45 people have lost their lives due to cyclone," PTI quoted Palaniswami as saying.

He said his government is collecting details about areas which have been badly affected by the cyclone Gaja.

Palaniswami said 1.7 lakh trees have been uprooted, 735 cattle died, 1.17 lakh houses damaged and 88,102 hectare agricultural land has been affected in coastal districts.

Noting that 39,938 electric poles and 347 transformers were damaged in the affected districts, he said 12,532 men of the state electricity board have been dispatched to take up the repair work.

Responding to a question, Palaniswami urged all political leaders and people to extend a helping hand in this time of need. "It is a natural calamity. There should not be any differences like opposition, ruling party in taking up relief operations. I appeal to everyone to help the affected people," he said.

"Currently, were are facing challenges in removing uprooted trees and replacing the damaged electricity poles," he said.