Cyclonic Storm Amphan Claims 21 Lives In India, Bangladesh; Highest Death Toll Of 12 In West Bengal

Cyclonic storm Amphan has killed at least 21 people so far in India and Bangladesh. In India, it caused heavy destruction in West Bengal and Odisha.

While it caused 12 casualties in West Bengal, seven people lost their lives in Bangladesh. Two deaths were also reported from Odisha including an infant.

Amphan’s landfall began on Wednesday at around 2:30pm at West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts near Sunderbans. During landfall, the storms’ sustained wind speed was 155-165 kmph spiralling up to 185 kmph.

However, the stormed slowed down as it moved on the land and the current centre is in Bangladesh.

“The super cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ moved north northeastwards with a speed of 27 kmph during past 6 hours, further weakened into a cyclonic storm and lay centred today at 5.30 am over Bangladesh near Lat. 24.7°N and Long. 89.5°E about 270 km north-northeast of Kolkata, 150 km south of Dhubri and 110 km south-southeast of Rangpur (Bangladesh),” the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin on Thursday morning.

Amphan is said to be the strongest cyclonic storm that has originated from the Bay of Bengal in decades. ‘Amphan’ word is derived from Thai language in which it means sky.