Cyclone Amphan kills 17 in India, 10 in Bangladesh

At least 17 people were killed after severe cyclonic storm Amphan crossed India, local media reported Thursday, reported news agency Xinhua.

Meanwhile, At least 10 people died as Super Cyclone Amphan battered the coastal areas of Bangladesh leaving a trail of destruction before weakening gradually, reported New Age, a leading English language daily published from Dhaka.

Xinhua adds: 12 people were killed in West Bengal while five were reportedly dead in adjacent Odisha.

Meanwhile, the severe cyclonic storm Thursday morning crossed West Bengal coast and moved towards Bangladesh, India Metrological Department (IMD) said.

"The super cyclonic storm -- Amphan moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 27 kmph during past six hours, further weakened into a cyclonic storm and lay centered at 5:30 a.m. (local time) today over Bangladesh near Latitude 24.7 N and Longitude 89.5 E about 270 km north-northeast of Kolkata, 150 km south of Dhubri and 110 km south-southeast of Rangpur (Bangladesh). It is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken further into a deep depression during next three hours and into a depression during subsequent six hours," the IMD said in its bulletin.

The cyclonic storm triggering gusty winds up to 190 kmph and rain battered West Bengal and coastal Odisha on Wednesday evening, flattened makeshift houses, uprooted electric poles and trees.

The cyclone has claimed 12 lives in West Bengal, officials and local media reports said, and the deaths were caused due to falling of trees, electric poles, failing structures and house collapses.

According to officials, Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas districts and their nearby areas bore the brunt of the natural calamity.

According to officials, the cyclone has claimed five lives in Odisha, and caused intense rainfall.

Amphan is considered to be the most powerful cyclone to form over the Bay of Bengal in over two decades, officials said, adding that the impact of Amphan was worse than the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kolkata airport, which remained shut, was left flooded and many structures within damaged. Witnesses said in Kolkata city, strong winds upturned cars and felled trees and electricity poles. The streets were waterlogged at many places.

The local government has evacuated half a million people from the affected areas and kept them in relief shelters. Authorities have also evacuated over 158,000 people in adjacent Odisha state that was also hit by the cyclone.

Authorities have deployed 41 teams of National Disaster Response Force in West Bengal and Odisha.

The severe cyclonic storm comes at a time when India is fighting COVID-19, which has affected 112,359 people in the country and killed 3,435.

News Age adds: Health Emergency Operations control room confirmed the death of 10 people - two each in Patuakhali, Bhola and Jessore districts and one each in Sathkhira, Pirojpur,Jhenaidah and Chattogram districts.

The victims include a Red Crescent volunteer Syed Shah Alam, who drowned after his boat capsized due to strong winds in Kalapara area of Patukhali.

Police Superintendent of Patuakhali, Mohammad Mainul Hasan, said that they found the body of Alam, 54. A five-year old boy also died in the district as a tree fell over him, said the Police Super.

District police intelligence chief Moshiur Rahman said two women died being hit by falling trees in Chogacha area of Jessore.

Zakir Hossain, the police intelligence chief of Bhola district said that a 75-year old man died being hit by a tree in South Aicha area of the district while a man in his 30s drowned after the capsize of boat.

Police Super of Pirjpur, Hayatul Islam Khan, confirmed the death of a man in the district while Mohammad Iltutmish, an Additional Police Super of Satkhira district confirmed the death of women.

Ayesha Akter, a spokesperson of Health Emergency Operations control room, confirmed two more deaths, respectively in Jhenaidah and Chattogram.