AHMEDABAD: A major cyclone packing ferocious winds and threatening a destructive storm surge bore down on India on Monday, disrupting the country’s urgent response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak. It warned of storm surges of up to three meters high (10 feet) in some of Gujarat’s coastal districts. “To ensure that Covid hospitals are not faced with power outages, 1,383 power back-ups have been installed,” senior local official Pankaj Kumar said. Four people died on Saturday as rain and winds battered Karnataka state with several towns and villages flooded, authorities said. Last May, more than 110 people died after “super cyclone” Amphan ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh, flattening villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without electricity.

Source: Manila Times May 17, 2021 15:45 UTC