Cyclone Amphan, one of the most powerful in decades, has begun to make landfall along the coastline of India and Bangladesh where more than 2.6 million people fled to shelters in a frantic evacuation, made all the more challenging by the coronavirus pandemic.
Weather officials say the cyclone – packing winds of up to 190km/h (120 miles/h) – could wreak havoc on India and Bangladesh, and millions of coastal residents have evacuated or battened down before the storm’s approach.
Authorities warned it could cause extensive damage to flimsy houses and a storm surge could push seawater 25km (15 miles) inland, flooding cities including Kolkata.
Al Jazeera’s Elizabeth Puranam reports from New Delhi, India.
Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 162 million people.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation’s economic, political, and cultural hub. Chittagong, the largest seaport, is the second-largest city.
In meteorology, a cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure. Cyclones are characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure and typically bring winds, rain, high waves and storm surges to the areas they pass.
In the Atlantic and the northeastern Pacific oceans, a tropical cyclone is generally referred to as a hurricane (from the name of the ancient Central American deity of wind, Huracan), in the Indian and south Pacific oceans it is called a cyclone, and in the northwestern Pacific it is called a typhoon.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world. New Delhi is the capital.
It has an exceptionally diverse population, with Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other religions speaking over 21 recognised languages.
New Delhi is the capital of India and an administrative district of NCT Delhi. New Delhi is also the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, and the Supreme Court of India. Delhi itself is often considered as a hub for international trade.