Severe cyclonic storm Fani was lying in the Bay of Bengal about 420 km south-southwest of the Hindu temple town of Puri where special trains were put on to evacuate tourists and the beaches were empty. In total, about 800,000 people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of the eastern state of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings, authorities said. "We are maximising efforts at all levels for evacuation," Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told Reuters. Cyclone tracker Tropical Storm Risk rated Fani a mid-range category 3 storm. "I think we are fully prepared," Satya Narayan Pradhan, NDRF director general, told state TV.

Source: bd News24 May 02, 2019 06:44 UTC