Three killed as cyclone hits Indian coast
Hundreds injured and buildings destroyed as more than a million people shelter from 125mph wind
THREE people died as the strongest cyclone to hit India in 20 years left a trail of destruction through the north eastern coastal state of Odisha yesterday.
Cyclone Fani made landfall in the resort town of Puri with wind speeds exceeding 125mph before moving inland, ripping through the state capital of Bhubaneswar and forcing more than a million people to take refuge in 800 government cyclone shelters to wait out the worst of the storm.
Arun Bothra, inspector general of Odisha police, described the damage in Bhubaneswar as “massive”, with widespread destruction of property across the city. “My own house has been damaged and all the trees gone,” he said.
Winds were so severe that they ripped roofs off buildings and toppled industrial cranes, trees and doubledecker buses.
Heavy rain submerged large areas of Puri and at least 160 people in the town were injured, many by flying debris. Witnesses said 300 hotels on the town’s shoreline were badly damaged with rooms flooded and windows smashed.
In Puri, a teenager was reportedly killed when a tree collapsed on him, while in Nayagarh district a woman died when she was struck by flying concrete. The third casualty was a 65-year-old woman who died of a suspected heart attack after seeking refuge at a cyclone shelter.
The Odisha regional government organised the mass evacuation, thought to be the largest in India’s history, after weather reports warned of the severity of the storm. It is believed its actions saved thousands of lives.
India’s preparations for cyclones have improved due to meteorological advances and lessons learnt from the region’s last super-cyclone in 1999, which claimed 10,000 lives.
The authorities in Bhubaneswar closed the airport until further notice and every train running along the coast was cancelled.
Meteorologists said Cyclone Fani should weaken in the next 24 hours as it headed inland. However, authorities in the state of West Bengal and the neighbouring country of Bangladesh remain on high alert as the cyclone is expected to reach towns and villages along the banks of the Ganges.
There is particular concern that the winds and rain could cause mayhem in the densely populated coastal districts of Bangladesh.
In Mancheswar, an area of Bhubaneswar, a 31-year-old railway worker gave birth in hospital as the storm raged outside. Doctors safely delivered the baby girl, who was named Lady Fani.
The effects of the cyclone were felt as far away as Nepal, where the government ordered all those attempting to climb to the summit of Everest to return to Base Camp, after high winds wrecked 20 tents.