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Nature and EnvironmentAsia

India: Deadly Cyclone Yaas starts to dissipate

May 27, 2021

The storm is the second cyclone to devastate India this month, as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://p.dw.com/p/3u0qH
The cyclone brought heavy winds and sea waves to the Indian state of West Bengal
The cyclone brought heavy winds and sea waves to the Indian state of West BengalImage: Ashim Paul/AP Photo/picture alliance

Cyclone Yaas weakened into a deep depression early on Thursday, the India Metereological Department (IMD) reported, after the storm killed several people as it rampaged across eastern India the day prior.

The storm is expected to continue losing intensity further in the coming hours, as it moves northwest. Eastern India will see heavy rainfall during the coming days due to the remnants of the system.

Which areas were hit by the cyclone?

The storm pounded the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha on Wednesday, claiming the lives of at least six people. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at least 10 million people were affected by the cyclone, with at least 300,000 homes in the state having been damaged. At least 50,000 people in West Bengal were left homeless because of the storm.

In Odisha, around 120 villages were swamped by heavy rains and sea water, a top state official told Reuters news agency.

Nearly 2 million people were evacuated from West Bengal and Odisha prior to the arrival of the cyclone. The IMD said the cyclone brought sustained winds of 140 to 150 kilometers per hour (up to 93 mph) when it arrived on land and gusts of up to 155 kph (97 mph).

The Indian government has dispatched thousands of emergency personnel to aid citizens impacted by the storm.

The storm also impacted Bangladesh, devastating hundreds of villages with floods from tidal surges.

Cyclones complicate India's response to COVID-19

Yaas is the second cyclone to hit India this month, after the powerful Cyclone Tauktae claimed over 150 lives in the country a week ago.

COVID: An unfolding health crisis in rural India

The cyclones come as India grapples with the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The country has registered at least 27 million infections and at least 311,000 deaths from the virus, suffering a particularly stark second wave over the past few weeks.

The storms have interfered with India's response to the health crisis. During Cyclone Tauktae earlier this month, coronavirus patients in Mumbai and Gujarat State had to be moved out of hospitals to safer locations away from the storm.

wd/msh (AP, Reuters, dpa)