Cyclone Amphan that battered coastal districts of West Bengal including Kolkata on Wednesday claimed at least 72 lives, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed on Thursday.
Cyclone Amphan that battered coastal districts of West Bengal including Kolkata on Wednesday claimed at least 72 lives, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed on Thursday.
Fifteen of those killed were from state capital Kolkata, Banerjee said, as she announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the kins of those killed in the cyclone.
The extremely severe cyclone Amphan made landfall at 2.30 pm on Wednesday between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya island in Bangladesh, packing heavy rain and winds with speeds of up to 190 kmph, triggering heavy rainfall and gustings in various parts of the state.
Amphan is the fiercest cyclone to hit the state in the last 100 years, reports said.
Kolkata and several parts of West Bengal wore a battered look on Thursday after 'Amphan' ripped through the state. The heavy wind and rain blew up shanties, uprooted thousands of trees, electricity poles and telecom towers and flooded low-lying areas.
Large parts of Kolkata and other affected districts were without electricity as power lines have been snapped and poles have been blown up. Mobile and internet services were also down as the cyclone has damaged communication towers in many parts.
East Midnapore, Howrah, North and South 24 Paraganas and Kolkata have been worst hit by the cyclone. After making landfall at Digha, the cyclone barrelled through North and South 24 Paraganas of Bengal, unleashing heavy rain and windstorm along the way.
Kolkata witnessed strong winds with speed up to 125 kmph per hour with heavy rains which upturned cars, felled trees and electricity poles, blocking important roads and intersections.
Teams of NDRF and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) are working on the ground to clear the roads with the help of light and heavy machinery.
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 "Hundreds of trees were uprooted by cyclone Amphan in Kolkata alone")
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