Published 17:52 IST, May 21st 2020
'72 dead due to Cyclone Amphan': West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urges PM Modi to visit
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that 72 people have lost their lives due to cyclone Amphan on Thursday
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that 72 people have lost their lives due to cyclone Amphan on Thursday. The Chief Minister also stated that 15 residents of Kolkata, the city which faced the cyclone on Wednesday evening lost their lives due to the cyclone. Amphan made landfall on Wednesday afternoon in the Sunderbans region in West Bengal and move northeastwards towards Bangladesh.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she had never seen in her lifetime this level of devastation. "72 people have died in the state so far, 17 people have died in Kolkata. All deceased are victims of tree or house collapse or electrocution.", said the Chief Minister.
The CM also announced compensation for the families of the ones who lost their life. She said, "We will pay compensation of Rs 2.5 lakhs to next to kin of deceased." The storm was the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Though its winds had weakened by the time it struck, it was still classified as an extremely severe cyclone.
"I have asked the PM to visit Sunderbans. In this hour of crisis, let us work together. Amit Shah called me this afternoon and assured the centre will extend full help," Banerjee said.
Cyclone Amphan
Cyclone Amphan which reported winds up to 190 kmph made landfall at the Digha coast of West Bengal at 2.30 pm on Wednesday, hitting Kolkata a few hours later. There were widespread power cuts in large parts of Kolkata, North 24 Paraganas and South Paraganas. Mobile and internet services were also down in parts as the cyclone had damaged several communication towers. Streets and homes in low lying areas of Kolkata were swamped with rainwater. Portions of several dilapidated buildings came crashing down in Kolkata and other parts of the state. Embankments in Sundarban delta - a UNESCO site - were also breached as the surge whipped up by the cyclone inundated several kilometres of the island. More than five lakh people have been evacuated to safety by the state government. Hundreds of trees fell to the cyclone's power.
Updated 17:52 IST, May 21st 2020