Picture : Twitter / ANI
The extremely severe cyclone Amphan did make its devastating impact in West Bengal . It has killed at least 12 persons and ravaged Kolkata and several parts of the state leaving behind a trail of destruction by uprooting trees, destroying thousands of homes and swamping low-lying areas of the state.
Packing heavy rain and winds with speeds of up to 190 kmph, extremely severe cyclone Amphan slammed Digha coast of West Bengal at 2.30 pm on Wednesday, triggering heavy rainfall and gustings in various parts of the state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been monitoring the situation at state secretariat Nabanna since Tuesday night, said the impact of Amphan was “worse than coronavirus”.
According to news agency report, While a man and a woman were killed when trees came crashing down on them in North 24 Parganas district, a 13-year-old girl died in a similar incident in adjoining Howrah, officials said.
Three persons were killed in Hooghly and North 24 Paraganas districts due to electrocution, they said.
woman and her seven-year-old son were killed in the Regent park area of Kolkata after a tree fell on them, the officials said.
Road clearance and restoration work underway in Kolkata, West Bengal: SN Pradhan, DG National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) #CycloneAmphan pic.twitter.com/7WNU7VzqGB
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2020
They said a person was killed in Kolkata after being hit by a flying object during the storm.
Senior state officials said it was too early to estimate a toll on life or damage to property as the hardest hit areas were still not accessible.
The cyclone blitz hit North and South 24 Paraganas of Bengal, unleashing copious rain and windstorm, blowing away thatched houses, uprooting trees, electric poles and swamping low lying towns and villages, officials said.
Strong winds with speed up to 125 kmph per hour upturned cars in Kolkata and felled trees and electricity poles blocking important roads and intersections.
There was a massive power cut in large parts of Kolkata, North 24 Paraganas and South Paraganas. The mobile and internet services were also down as the cyclone had damaged several communication towers.
