72 people dead as Cyclone Amphan disrupts West Bengal

The super cyclonic storm Amphan made landfall close to Sundarbans between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh on Wednesday afternoon. The cyclone annihilated infrastructure as it destroyed bridges that connected Indian islands to the mainland. The storm uprooted trees and electricity poles and continued for almost 7 hours.

Following the devastation that wrecked havoc in West Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee announced on thursday that so far "72 people have died in West Bengal". She discussed the intensity of the cyclone as unprecedented. "I have never seen such a disaster before. I will ask PM to visit the state and see the situation", said Banerjee.

The wind speed of the devastation was up to 185 kmph. Almost 5,500 houses have been demolished. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has remarked the situation even "worse than the coronavirus pandemic". She furthers claimed that there could have been Rs 1 lakh crore worth of damage due to the cyclone in the region. Over 500,000 people had been taken to shelters in West Bengal and over 100,000 in Odisha.

Also read: Tripura: No harsh impact over AMPHAN as moderate rains predicted

Earlier, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) advised people against going out until the government's green signal. "Only venture out after a cyclone when "all clear" messages are declared by the Government Officials," said NDMA on Twitter.

Videos and images viral on social media reveal West Bengal facing the Amphan onlslaught as houses and basic infrastrcuture got destoryed. The areas in South Bengal have been affected majorly. This comes at a time when the state is already dealing with the Covid19 pandemic. As reported by The Indian Express, West Bengal CM said, "On one hand we are fighting with COVID-19, on the other hand lakhs of migrants are coming back".

Meanwhile, IMD on Monday had issued a warning of heavy rainfall for six states till May 21 in the light of extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan. The weather bureau said Odisha, West Bengal and its sub-Himalayan parts, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya will receive heavy rainfall till May 21.

How that will affect the corona situation will be a key concern.

To support our brand of fearless and investigative journalism, support us HERE.

Download:

The Inside Northeast app HERE for News, Views, and Reviews from Northeast India.

Do keep following us for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast.