At Least Three Killed As Cyclone "Fani" Hits Land In Eastern India-Over 1 Million Evacuated

Over one million people evacuated parts of the eastern coast of India on Thursday as extremely severe cyclone "Fani" moved north through the bay of Bengal. The storm touched the land near Puri at around 8 am (local) Friday lashing the coast with winds gusting at more than 120 mph.

The cyclone happens to be the most robust tropical cyclone to hit India in 20 years. 11 district of the eastern state Odisha coast were placed on red alert where around 900 cyclone shelters were set up for the evacuee.

On Thursday, the Odisha government informed the National Crisis Management Committee that 10,000 villages and 53 towns in nine districts would be affected by the cyclone.

Hindustan Times reported the storm started weakening Friday afternoon. K.J. Ramesh, Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department told;

After making landfall this morning, cyclone Fani has started weakening and it’s likely to enter Bangladesh by tomorrow evening. No cyclone ever had such a long duration in April.

Meanwhile, three people have been reported dead in the storm where two of those are known to have died from being hit by fallen trees and the reason for the death of another person is still unknown. Several outlets reported several trees were uprooted in Bhubaneswar in the heavy rain and strong winds.

Meanwhile, Indian PM Narendra Modi has a s sured the Indian government will allocate $144 million for cyclone relief to storm-hit areas. He said the "central government in this moment of trouble is with you all." Modi, who has been in Rajasthan for election rally addressing the people saying,

People living in the northeastern parts of the country -- hundreds of thousands of families are facing a cyclonic storm. The central government is in constant touch with the governments in Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

IMD reported cyclone Fani will move north-northeastwards after weakening gradually and will emerge into West Bengal and move to Bangladesh after weakening. It is less likely to make any significant destruction in Bangladesh.