At least 84 persons have been reportedly dead across India and Bangladeshi after a super cyclone amphan that struck the eastern India city Kolkata.
Cyclone Amphan is an extremely severe cyclonic storm which is characterized by strong winds, spiral arrangements of the thunderstorm, and heavy rainfall.
Storm Amphan struck land on Wednesday, lashing coastal areas with ferocious wind and rain. It is now weakening as it moves north into Bhutan.
BBC reports that thousands of trees were uprooted in the gales, electricity and telephone lines brought down and houses flattened.
Many of Kolkata’s roads are flooded and its 14 million people without power.
The storm is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Though its winds had weakened by the time it struck, it was still classified as a very severe cyclone.
Coronavirus restrictions have been hindering emergency and relief efforts. Covid-19 and social-distancing measures made mass evacuations more difficult, with shelters unable to be used to full capacity.
Source: BBC
