Three dead as cyclone Fani hits eastern India
Updated 22:30, 03-May-2019
CGTN
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Three people died in India's eastern state of Odisha as the extremely severe cyclone Fani hit the state on Friday morning and continued beyond noon.
Local media reports quoted state government officials as saying that one person died when a tree fell on him, another died due to a heart attack inside a cyclone shelter, and a woman died when flying debris from a concrete structure hit her.
A large number of trees and electricity poles were uprooted, and the power supply was cut off in many parts of the state. Many areas in Puri of Odisha and other places were submerged as heavy rain battered the coast.
Strong winds were seen in parts of the southern state Andhra Pradesh and eastern state West Bengal. The cyclonic storm was said to be weakening gradually and the Indian army, navy, air force, coast guard and disaster management agencies are on stand-by.
The monster weather system, which made landfall at the eastern holy city of Puri in the morning, is one of the strongest to come in off the Indian Ocean in years, with winds gusting at speeds of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour. 
Commuters cross a road during heavy rains in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019. / Reuters Photo‍

Commuters cross a road during heavy rains in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019. / Reuters Photo‍

In recent days authorities in Odisha state, where 10,000 people died in a 1999 cyclone, have evacuated more than a million people as they fret about a possible 1.5-meter (five-foot) storm surge sweeping far inland.
Local airports have been shut, while train lines and roads were closed.
Stranded passengers rest inside a railway station after trains between Kolkata and Odisha were canceled ahead of Cyclone Fani, in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019. / Reuters Photo

Stranded passengers rest inside a railway station after trains between Kolkata and Odisha were canceled ahead of Cyclone Fani, in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019. / Reuters Photo

Stranded passengers rest inside a railway station after trains between Kolkata and Odisha were canceled ahead of Cyclone Fani, in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019./ Reuters Photo

Stranded passengers rest inside a railway station after trains between Kolkata and Odisha were canceled ahead of Cyclone Fani, in Kolkata, India, May 3, 2019./ Reuters Photo

"It just went dark and then suddenly we could barely see five meters in front of us," said one Puri resident.
"There were the roadside food carts, store signs all flying by in the air," the man told AFP from a hotel where he took shelter. "The wind is deafening."
Another witness said he saw a small car being pushed along a street by the winds and then turned over.
"We have been unable to make contact with our team in Puri for some time now to get the latest update about the situation there," H.R. Biswas, Indian Meteorology Department director in state capital Bhubaneswar, told AFP.
Fani was expected to barrel northeastwards into West Bengal state and towards Bangladesh, on a trajectory that will take it over the homes of 100 million people.
Authorities in West Bengal have started evacuating thousands of people from coastal villages, disaster management minister Javed Ahmed Khan told AFP. 
"We are bracing for the worst on Saturday when the cyclone is forecast to batter the city of Kolkata," said Bhattacharya. 
"We are monitoring the situation 24x7 and doing all it takes... Be alert, take care and stay safe for the next two days," West Bengal's chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted. 
Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency