Cyclone Amphan batters Bengal, winds over 120 kmph in Kolkata

Cyclone Amphan completely entered land by 7 pm on Wednesday evening and reached West Bengal capital Kolkata and its adjoining districts accompanied by strong winds with an intensity of 110-120 kilometres per hour, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Wednesday as the cyclonic storm continued its landfall.

“The extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan will completely enter land by 7 pm. The cyclone is currently moving at a speed of 25-30 kilometres per hour. Winds with a speed of 155-165 kilometres per hour have been blowing in South and North 24 Parganas and East Medinipur districts of Bengal,” the IMD DG said.

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“The first arm of Cyclone Amphan has touched land. The eye of the cyclone is expected to touch land anytime soon,” he said.

“The width of the wall cloud of the cyclone is around 120 kilometres and the diameter of the eye is about 40 kilometres. The rear side is also about 120 kilometres. West Bengal’s South and North 24 Parganas will witness a lull as the eye of the cyclone passes through, but heavy rains, strong winds will resume in the next 30 minutes, as the second arm of the cyclone hits the area,” Mohapatra cautioned.

More than 5 lakh people have been evacuated from nearby coastal areas in the state and another 1,58,640 people have been removed to safer areas in neighbouring Odisha, with both states being hit by the cyclonic storm.

The landfall process began near Sunderbans in West Bengal at 2.30 pm this afternoon with the entry of the front sector of the wall cloud region.

Mohapatra also asserted that the forecast of the cyclone by the IMD had been accurate.

India has also been issuing a cyclone warning to Bangladesh, he informed.

So far, two deaths have been reported in Kendrapara and Bhadrak and 2 deaths have been reported in Bengal during the cyclone, government officials said.

The severe cyclonic storm will reach Assam and Meghalaya on May 21 and it will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall in these two northeastern districts, according to IMD.