In photos: Deadly Cyclone Tauktae leaves trail of destruction across India

Tropical Cyclone Tauktae killed at least 16 people in India after making landfall in Gujarat Monday, packing 100mph winds, as the country continued to face surging infection rates and deaths from COVID-19, per Reuters.

The big picture: Tauktae unleashed heavy rains and winds as it moved across Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Over 200,000 people were evacuated from Gujarat, and ports, airports and vaccination centers shut across the state and Mumbai, Reuters reports. Tauktae weakened from a Category 3 storm to a "severe cyclonic storm" Tuesday.

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Winds of Cyclone Tauktae from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at 1:03 UTC, May 17, 2021. Winds as high as 81 knots (93 mph) were measured; JTWC and IMD rated Tauktae as stronger. See my post: https://t.co/QXhN03M4mN pic.twitter.com/m2CY5E0xS8

— Jeff Masters (@DrJeffMasters) May 17, 2021

Waves lash over onto a shoreline in Mumbai on May 17, as Cyclone Tauktae, bears down on India. Heavy rains and powerful winds destroyed homes, downed trees and caused power outages in several states, the BBC reports. Photo: Sujit Jaiswal/AFP via Getty Images

A truck loaded with oxygen cylinders gets stuck as trees fall due to the approaching cyclone near Mahuva, in Gujarat state, western India. Per meteorologist Jeff Masters, it's the fifth-strongest cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Photo: Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images

Trucks are stranded on a flooded highway near Diu, western India, on May 18. Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images

Rescue personnel evacuate a resident through a flooded street in a coastal area of Kochi, southwest India, after heavy rains from the cyclone on May 14. Photo: Arunchandra Bose/AFP via Getty Images