Cyclone Amphan makes landfall — 2 killed in Odisha

• Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in Digha in West Bengal and Hatia Islands in Bangladesh near Sundarbans.
• Hundreds of trees were uprooted and electric and telecom infrastructure damaged. The government has received reports of two deaths from Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts due to the cyclone.
  
• The process will continue for 4 more hours.
  
• All the shops in South Bengal districts were advised to shut down.

Cyclone Amphan started landfall in Digha in West Bengal and Hatia Islands in Bangladesh near Sundarbans at 2.30 pm. The process will continue for 4 more hours. Landfall is when the eye of the cyclone move to land after being on the water. This does not mean that cyclone has ‘hit the land’ or arrived. The cyclone arrives hours before the landfall bringing rainfall and dust storms.

Hundreds of trees were uprooted and electric and telecom infrastructure damaged. The government has received reports of two deaths from Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts due to the cyclone.

"We have received reports of a child's death at Tihidi in the Bhadrak district. The District Collector has sent a team, comprising tehsildar, medical and police officials. The exact cause will be ascertained after autopsy," said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena.

Over 600,000 people were evacuated in Odisha and West Bengal.

According to India Meterological Department, the cyclone will hit Kolkata in the evening with a speed of 120 kilometer per hour.



READ ALSO: Satellite pictures show super cyclone Amphan is raging across the sea at 270 kilometers per hour⁠— West Bengal and Odisha under ‘orange’ alert

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said more than three lakh people from three coastal districts have been moved to safety. Seven districts of Odisha are under a spell of strong winds and heavy rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (MeT) weakened Amphan from a ‘super cyclone’ to an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’. It estimates that Amphan is centred around 390 kilometres south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal.

Even though it is less severe, the devastating wind speed of cyclone Amphan — at 155 to 165 kilometres per hour (kph) gusting to 185 kph — is expected to cause large scale and extensive damage to structures — including poles, thatched and asbestos houses, hoardings, and trees. Speeds are unfavourable for trains and road travel, IMD said on May 19.

(Correction: An earlier version of the story said 4.5 million people were evacuated. The number has been corrected to over 6 lakh)

SEE ALSO:
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Amphan, the strongest storm ever, "can cause large scale damage to structures", say Indian authorities