The death toll of Cyclone Fani has risen to 33 in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, local media reported Sunday.
The extremely severe cyclone wreaked havoc in the coastal part of the state, causing widespread destruction and leaving hundreds grappling with water shortage and power cuts due to the uprooting of trees and electricity poles.
According to local government officials, the worst affected is Puri town, 68 kms south of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.
Local media reports quoting state Chief Secretary A P Padhi said 21 deaths were registered in the pilgrim town of Puri alone.
The cyclone made landfall in the town on Friday, uprooting scores of trees, electric poles, damaging mobile towers and flattening fragile houses.
The Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, has announced a relief package for those affected by the cyclone.
Motorcyclists travel past damaged trees after Cyclone Fani passes in the Puri district of Odisha, India, May 4, 2019./ VCG Photo
"Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said all families in Puri and in those parts of Khurda, which had been severely affected in the storm, will get 50 kg of rice, 28 U.S. dollars in cash and polythene sheets if covered under the Food Security Act (FSA)," a local government official said.
Patnaik said government machinery has been pressed into service to restore electricity and water supply in the affected areas.
Houses completely damaged in Cyclone Fani will be constructed under housing schemes and loss of agricultural, horticultural crops, animal resources and fisheries will be assessed and compensated accordingly, the chief minister said.
The state-run broadcaster All India Radio quoted government officials as saying that around 1 million trees were uprooted in Bhubaneswar alone. Six village forests in Bhubaneswar area have been completely devastated under the impact of Fani.
Flight operations at Bhubaneswar airport resumed on Saturday. Meanwhile, train services remained affected in the region.
The storm is one of the strongest recorded in India.