( CNN ) -- India 's president expressed her condolences Sunday for those killed by a devastating cyclone that has forced thousands to seek refuge in emergency shelters . The death toll along India 's southeastern coastline stood at 27 as of Sunday , according to officials . This was two days after Cyclone Thane brought heavy rains and winds gusting at almost 90 miles per hour at its peak to the area . Pratibha Devisingh Patil reached out to some of those affected by the storm in the states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry , according to a statement posted on her website . `` The president has conveyed her condolences to the members of bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to the injured persons , '' her office said . The Tamil Nadu district of Cuddalore , south of the city of Chennai , was hit particularly hard . The storm uprooted trees , ripped off traffic signals from their posts and sent shards of glass and other debris whizzing through the air . Amuthavalli , the district 's top official who goes by a single name , told CNN that some people lost their lives when walls collapsed or downed power lines caused electrocution . Some 7,000 people are staying in emergency shelters set up in school buildings , community halls and 20 cyclone centers in the Cuddalore area , she said . One of those killed was a French national , the French Foreign Ministry said Saturday .
Pratibha Devisingh Patil offers condolences to `` bereaved families '' of 27 killed by storm . New Delhi : Electrocution was to blame for some of the deaths , an official said .