Scenes of large uprooted trees, damaged houses and flown off roofs were observed, when Super Cyclone Amphan made its appearance over Odisha and West Bengal. As it pummelled through the night, it left behind a trail of deaths as at least 12 people were killed.
The severe cyclonic storm on Thursday weakened and lay centered over Bangladesh about 270 north-northeastwards of Kolkata with a wind speed of 27 kmph.
"It is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken further into a deep depression during the next three hours and into a depression during subsequent six hours," the IMD said.
ANI
Houses were flattened, massive number of trees uprooted as many feared damage to iconic structures in the cities as well.
With landlines severed and no electricity for hours as the people managed through the raging storm, many tweeted photos of destruction to property, as they paddled through pools of water.
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It said that the Cyclone is now centred over Bangladesh and it will have no adverse impact over West Bengal and Odisha -- a good sign as it cut a swath through northern Odisha before bearing down on West Bengal where it claimed 10-12 lives, flattened houses and cast aside trees and electricity poles like matchsticks in six-and-a-half hours of monstrous fury that left Kolkata and most of south Bengal pulverised.
While Odisha was spared the worst of Amphan, the Sunderbans region and six south Bengal districts felt the full impact of winds gusting at 155-165 kmph along with torrential rain after the cyclone made landfall near Sagar Island around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday and entered Kolkata, about a 100 km north, around 5 p.m.
Amphan, a Thai name means sky, is the most severe storm in the Bay of Bengal since the Odisha super cyclone of 1999.