Cyclone Bulbul, which made landfall on Sunday, has claimed at least 20 lives, injured many and displaced thousands, India Today reported on Monday. The cyclonic storm has killed 10 people in West Bengal, two in its neighbouring state Odisha, and eight in Bangladesh.
The cyclone, which moved towards Bangladesh early on Sunday, weakened considerably after affecting 4.6 lakh people and damaging 60,000 houses, according to The Times of India. Unidentified officials claimed that the toll may rise further.
Four residents of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal died after strong winds uprooted trees that fell on them. One resident of East Midnapore died after a wall collapsed. However, it is not clear when the deaths occurred.
On Sunday morning, two people died in Hooghly district of electrocution and one person died after a fishing trawler capsized. A day before that a 28-year-old employee of the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club was killed after a tree collapsed on him.
Meanwhile, eight fishermen, who went missing after a trawler capsized off Mousuni, an island in the Bay of Bengal, have still not been found.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent several hours at the control room monitoring the situation. She was accompanied by the state’s Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha.
About 200 locals were moved to a shelter in the Sagar Pilot station of the Kolkata Port trust.
Banerjee, who had postponed her trip to north Bengal, said she would conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas around Namkhana and Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas district, which is the worst-affected, The Times of India reported. The chief minister is expected to meet the authorities of the Kakdwip administration to assess relief and rehabilitation measures.
The chief minister is likely to visit the areas affected due to the cyclone in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday. Schools remained shut in the affected areas on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday had assured all help to the West Bengal government. Home Minister Amit Shah also offered assistance to the chief minister.
Bangladesh
Two of the country’s biggest ports – Mongla and Chittagong – were shut and flights were stopped from going into Chittagong airport, BBC reported on Monday.
Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Secretary Shah Kamal told AFP that those evacuated had been moved to over 5,500 cyclone shelters. In Khulna, which is the worst-affected district in the country, uprooted trees blocked off access to several areas.
“It [Cyclone Bulbul] has turned into a deep depression, causing heavy rainfall,” Bangladesh weather bureau deputy chief Ayesha Khatun said.
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