Cyclone Amphan kills 12 in West Bengal
The cyclone made landfall with gusting winds of up to 185 kmph and waves about 15 feet tall
Cyclone Amphan has killed 10 to 12 people in India's West Bengal beside destroying thousands of houses, damaging buildings, uprooting trees, electricity poles, as it made the landfall yesterday afternoon.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the impact of Amphan was worse than the coronavirus pandemic and claimed damages due to the cyclone in the region could be of Rs1 lakh crore, NDTV reported.
The cyclone, one of the worst storms over the Bay of Bengal in years, made landfall with gusting winds of up to 185 kmph and waves about 15 feet tall.
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The monster storm's eye was about 30 kilometre in diameter.
Over five lakh people had been taken to shelters in West Bengal and over one lakh in Odisha.
National Disaster Response Force chief SN Pradhan said the storm is "a double challenge" for the country amid fight against coronavirus.
In Kolkata, the airport has been shut till 5am Thursday after the city, close to the coast, was put on alert.
Visuals showed strong winds and winds battering coastal parts including Paradip in Odisha and South 24 Paraganas in Bengal.
However, seven districts in West Bengal faced the direct impact of the cyclone.
