At Least 12 Killed In Cyclone Bulbul And Torrential Rains In West Bengal, Odisha

At least ten people have been killed in West Bengal and two in Odisha as Cyclone Bulbul battered the coastal areas of the two states before it proceeded to Bangladesh.

North 24 Parganas in West Bengal was the worst-hit district in the state in the Cyclone which hit the coast in the early hours of Sunday. Five deaths have been reported in the district in the cyclone.

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The severe cyclonic storm, which was the equivalent of a Category 1 or 2 hurricane in the Atlantic uprooted hundreds of trees and snapped cables in the city and in the coastal districts of North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore,

State Disaster Management Minister Javed Khan said that at least 2,473 houses were destroyed and another 26,000 were partially damaged in the cyclone in the coastal districts along the Bay o Bengal, with the fishing towns of Bakkhali and Namkhana being among the worst-affected areas.

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He said that while 2.73 lakh families were affected in the storm, 1.78 lakh people were moved to relief camps set up in nine places of the state.

Even though the cyclone has passed and subsequently weakened, it has caused widespread rains in both West Bengal and Odisha, which is predicted to continue.

In Odisha, around 350 people from Baincha village have taken shelter in Balasore district.

The villagers belonging to storm-stricken villages were served food by the local officials and efforts are on to clean up the roads due to fallen trees.

"Cyclonic storm Bulbul now lies over coastal areas of Bangladesh, away from Bengal. In the next 12 hours, this tropical cyclone will become depressed and lose intensity. There is only wind warning now," said GC Das, an official from Alipore Meteorological Department while speaking to ANI.

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Alipore Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for the fishermen in the region advising them not to venture into the sea for the next few days.

While cyclones are not anything new, especially during this time of the year in the Bay of Bengal, this year has been different.?

Cyclone Bulbul is the seventh cyclone of 2019 which will affect India. In January Cyclone Pabuk, which was a weak storm hit the Andamans before it moved towards the Malaya peninsula. This was followed by Cyclone Fani in April.

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In the meantime, there were four cyclones, Vayu, Hikka, Kyarr and Maha in the Arabian Sea so far this year.?

Just a few days ago the western coast of India was hit by Cyclone Maha, causing widespread rains in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.?