Powerful cyclone kills 24, missing 96 in India

A powerful Arabian Sea cyclone made landfall off the west coast of India on Monday., hours after authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands and suspended COVID-19 vaccinations in one state. The authorities talk about at least 24 dead and nearly a hundred missing.

Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than two decades, stranded in the state of Gujarat with heavy rains, a strong storm surge and sustained winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour , said the Gujarat Meteorological Department. India.

Twelve people are believed to have died before the storm reached land and hundreds of thousands of people were reportedly evacuated., a process complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The massive storm came as India battles a devastating wave of coronavirus, and the storm and virus could exacerbate each other’s effects.. The storm had already caused the suspension of some vaccination efforts and there is an increased risk of transmission of the virus in crowded evacuation shelters.

In Gujarat, vaccinations were suspended for two days and authorities struggled to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people to temporary shelters. State Prime Minister Vijay Rupani called on officials to ensure that the oxygen supply to hospitals is not interrupted.

In Maharashtra, six people were killed, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The state capital, Mumbai, was hit by heavy rains and high winds, forcing authorities to suspend operations at the city’s main airport..

Coastal fishing boats from both states have returned to port and thousands of rescue and relief teams, as well as ships and planes, have been deployed on recovery operations.

Rain from the storm has already killed six people in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa over the weekend before moving along the west coast.

During, virus lockdown measures could delay relief work after the storm, and storm damage could destroy roads and cut vital supply lines for vaccines and medical supplies needed by coronavirus patients. The damage from the storm is also likely to hit the poor particularly hard, already on the brink of the economic impact of the virus.

The director of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in South Asia, Udaya Regmi, said the cyclone is a “terrible double blow” for families already affected by infections and deaths. to COVID-19.

“The potential impacts of Cyclone Tauktae are terrifying as this monstrous storm threatens the state of Gujarat. Everything must continue to be done to protect populations from this dangerous storm and this terrible pandemicRegmi said.

The west coast of India is no stranger to devastating cyclones, but climate change has made them more intense rather than more frequent.

In May 2020, Nearly 100 people have died after Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade, devastated the region and left millions without electricity..

With AP information

KEEP READING: