MANDVI, India: Cyclone Biparjoy slammed into the Indian coast with powerful winds, sowing fear and prompting evacuations, but began weakening in the early hours of Friday as it moved north.
Indian forecasters had warned that Biparjoy, whose name means “disaster” in Bengali, was likely to devastate homes and tear down power lines as it barrels through the western state of Gujarat.
The “very severe cyclonic storm” crossed the coastline near Jakhau Port Thursday evening, but started losing force several hours later and at 2:30 am (2230 GMT) on Friday was packing 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour winds with gusts up to 110 km/h, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in the latest bulletin.
“It would move northeastwards and weaken into a cyclonic storm by early morning of the 16th (of) June,” the bulletin read.
Earlier, weather officials had said that the cyclone was expected to move overnight into Pakistan’s Sindh province, home to the port megacity of Karachi.
Jayantha Bhai, a 35-year-old shopkeeper in the Gujarat beach town of Mandvi, told AFP before the storm hit that he was afraid for his family’s safety.
“This is the first time I’ve experienced a cyclone,” said Bhai, a father of three boys aged between eight and 15, who planned to wait out the cyclone in his small concrete home behind the shop.
“This is nature, we can’t fight with it,” he said, as driving rain lashed his home.
‘Widespread damage’
Low-lying roads started to flood on Thursday afternoon after hours of rain. Gusting winds blew sheets of water that reduced visibility with a dull grey mist. Almost all stores were closed, and shoppers had crowded the few that remained open to buy last-minute food and water supplies.
India’s meteorologists warned of the potential for “widespread damage”, including the destruction of crops, “bending or uprooting of power and communication poles” and disruption of railways and roads.
The Gujarat state government said 94,000 people had relocated from coastal and low-lying areas to shelter.
—AFP/APP