Watch: Severe Cyclone Dana makes landfall in Odisha

The landfall of severe cyclonic storm Dana has started, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. According to the IMD, the landfall of Cyclone Dana commenced on Thursday night and will continue until Friday morning. Cyclone Dana made landfall between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak district, accompanied by wind speeds of approximately 110 km/h.??

CREDIT: BCCL

Severe Cyclone Dana makes landfall

"The landfall started with the entry of the outer cloud mass of the system. When the centre of the system reaches land, wind speeds are expected to reach 120 km/h," Umashankar Das, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, told PTI.??

Videos posted on social media showed the impact of Cyclone Dana as it made landfall.??

Earlier on Thursday night, Cyclone Dana had moved north-westwards with a speed of 13 km/h, about 60 km from Dhamra in Odisha and 170 km from Sagar Island in West Bengal.??

CREDIT: BCCL

Ten districts in Odisha affected by Cyclone Dana

Authorities in Odisha and West Bengal had evacuated lakhs of people, shut schools, cancelled more than 400 trains, and suspended flight operations in anticipation of the cyclonic storm's landfall.??

In Odisha, Suresh Pujari, the Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, said that around 10 districts are likely to be affected by the cyclone.??

Red alert in three West Bengal districts

In West Bengal, a red alert was issued in three districts - East Midnapore, South 24 Parganas, and West Midnapore. As per the predictions of the Regional Meteorological Office in Kolkata, the maximum impact is expected in East Midnapore district, which is West Bengal's bordering district with Odisha.??

CREDIT: IANS

The impact is also likely to be felt in the coastal pockets of North 24 Parganas district.??

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the administration identified over 3.5 lakh people to be evacuated from low-lying areas of the state due to Cyclone Dana.

For more news and current affairs?from around the world, please visit?Indiatimes News.