Fishermen narrowly escape death after six boats overturned during cyclone

This video footage shows dozens of fishermen narrowly escaping death after their boats overturned at sea when they ignored cyclone warnings.

Six boats with a total of 60 onboard were flipped by enormous coastal waves on Tuesday (10/5).

Video footage shows the moment several of the boats flipped while attempting to return to land, sending their passengers into the water.

The incident took place near the town of Aryapalli, Chhatarpur in India's Ganjam district.

According to locals, the fishermen ignored warnings about cyclone Asani which is expected to make landfall in southern India tomorrow, causing their boats to flip.

While the fishermen were all able to swim to shore again, their belongings and catches were lost.

One of two cyclones in the Indian Ocean this week, tropical storms Asani and Karim have smashed India's southern coast with 10kmph winds and rough seas.

The Indian Navy have been deployed to provide assistance to locals.