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 severe cyclonic storm.
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Agencies
New
Delhi: Cyclone Amphan will completely enter land by 7 pm on Wednesday evening
and will reach 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.
“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.
“We are hopeful that by 7 pm
the entire cyclone will enter land,” Mohapatra said. He 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 during
the cyclone, government officials said.
The severe cyclonic storm 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.
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