Cyclone leaves trail of damage, flooding in India

Heavy rain and a high tide lashed parts of India’s eastern coast as a cyclone pushed ashore Wednesday in an area where more than 1.1 million people have evacuated amid a devastating coronavirus disease surge, AP reports

Cyclone Yaas already had caused two deaths and damage to homes as severe weather and rains affected Odisha and West Bengal states before the storm began making landfall in the late morning.

The “very severe cyclonic storm” has sustained winds of 130-140 kilometers per hour (up to 87 mph) that are gusting up to 155 kph (97 mph), the India Meteorological Department said.

With the storm now almost fully on land, its winds are expected to weaken to 75 kph (45 mph) by Wednesday evening, the meteorological department said.

Television images showed knee-deep water flooding the beachfront and other areas of Digha, a resort town in West Bengal state. Wind gusts whipped palm trees back and forth.

Overflowing water has breached several river embankments and parts of West Bengal had flooding, the Press Trust of India news agency said.