Super Cyclone 'Amphan' spent, speeds into Bangladesh after weakening; rains to continue

The "super cyclonic storm" Amphan that hit parts of West Bengal and Odisha on Wednesday has moved north-northeastwards at a speed of 27 kilometres per hour during the past six hours and has further weakened into a "cyclonic storm" centred over Bangladesh on Thursday.

"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)," stated IMD Bhubaneswar in a bulletin.

The storm is very likely to continue moving north-northeastwards and weaken further into a deep depression in three hours and into a depression during the subsequent 6 hours, the IMD added.

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Heavy Rainfall warning in the north-east

It also issued a heavy rainfall warning for Assam and Meghalaya.

“Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places very likely over the western districts of Assam and Meghalaya on May 21.

Squally wind, speed reaching 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph very likely over Meghalaya and West Assam during next 12 hours," it stated.

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Cyclone Amphan causes destruction

Extremely severe cyclone 'Amphan' has killed at least 12 persons and ravaged Kolkata and several parts of West Bengal as it left behind a trail of destruction by uprooting trees, destroying thousands of homes and swamping low-lying areas of the state.

While a man and a woman were killed when trees came crashing down on them in North 24 Parganas district, a 13-year-old girl died in a similar incident in adjoining Howrah, officials said. Three persons were killed in Hooghly and North 24 Paraganas districts due to electrocution, they said.

A woman and her seven-year-old son were killed in the Regent Park area of Kolkata after a tree fell on them, the officials said. They said a person was killed in Kolkata after being hit by a flying object during the storm.

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(With inputs from ANI)