Authorities in India are braced for a cyclone that is moving through the Bay of Bengal and forecast to bring “extremely severe” wind and rain.
Around 800,000 evacuations have already been made along the country’s eastern coast, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi warned Cyclone Fani would make landfall on Friday with hurricane force winds of up to 200 kph (124mph) the night before.
Parts of the state of Odisha and its southern neighbour, Andhra Pradesh, are predicted to experience “extremely heavy falls”.
IMD has issued a yellow alert warning for Odisha, West Bengal and three districts of Andhra Pradesh, while Kolkata’s mayor warned that the storm was forecast to hit there too.
“We have heard that the cyclone has turned towards Bengal and it will also hit Kolkata. But people should not panic unnecessarily. All precautionary steps are being taken to prevent any loss of life,” Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said, NDTV reported.