Devastating pictures of Cyclone Amphan that killed at least 14 in West Bengal and Odisha including a 7 year old

• Amphan is the strongest cyclone ever formed in the Bay of Bengal⁠.
  
• At least 12 people were killed including a 7 year old boy in West Bengal. There were two deaths reported in Odisha.
  
• In Bangladesh, over a million people were left without electricity after strong winds snapped electricity lines.
  
• Get the latest news and updates on Business Insider
  
  

An extremely severe cyclone Amphan with a wind speed of 190 kilometers per hour rampaged through coastal Odisha and West Bengal, triggering heavy rain, swamping electric poles, homes and farmland — leaving at least 14 people dead.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been monitoring the situation at state secretariat Nabanna since May 19, said the impact of Amphan was "worse than coronavirus".

Amphan is the strongest cyclone ever formed in the Bay of Bengal⁠— worse than the Odisha Cyclone of 1999 which moved at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour and killed 10,000 people.

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

Here are some devastating pictures from West Bengal and Odisha:
The extremely severe cyclone ‘Amphan’ slammed Digha coast of West Bengal at 2.30 pm on May 20, triggering heavy rainfall and gustings in various parts of the state.

After making landfall at 2.30 p.m. between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya island in Bangladesh, cyclone Amphan cut a swathe through the coastal areas, flattening fragile dwellings, uprooting trees and electric poles.


Over 6.58 lakh people were evacuated in West Bengal and Odisha before the cyclone struck.

Strong winds with speed up to 125 kmph per hour upturned cars in Kolkata and felled trees and electricity poles blocking important roads and intersections.

In North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore, roofs of thatched houses were blown away, electric poles got twisted and hundreds of trees broken and uprooted.

There was a massive power cut in large parts of Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and South Parganas. The mobile and internet services were also down as the cyclone had damaged several communication towers.

In Bangladesh, over a million people were left without electricity after strong winds snapped electricity lines.Bangladesh reported 3 deaths including a child and a 70 year old.

Some 740 houses in Patuakhali were washed away as an advanced surge of tidal wave cracked a coastal embankment while the cyclone was approaching.



SEE ALSO:
Cyclone Amphan makes landfall — 2 killed in Odisha
India is about to get hit by a super cyclone at the same time as its coronavirus outbreak is peaking