India And Pakistan Evacuate Thousands Ahead Of Severe Cyclone
Tens of thousands have been evacuated in India and Pakistan as parts of the countries brace for an extremely severe cyclone to hit on Thursday evening.
However, Biparjoy – a cyclone over the Arabian sea – is forecast to make landfall in kutch in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
In Pakistan, the storm is expected to hit the coast of sindh province and affect parts of Karachi city.
Seven people have died in India amid heavy rains.
The Gujarat government in India,said it has evacuated nearly 38,000 people to safety from its coastal districts.
The weather office has warned people of blackouts and floods.
In Pakistan, the national disaster management authority said it will evacuate nearly 100,000 people by Wednesday morning, moving them to temporary shelters and relief camps.
Pakistan is still reeling from the aftermath of the devastating 2022 floods which submerged large parts of the country and killed almost 1,700 people.
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Three people were killed in Kutch and Rajkot districts as heavy rains and strong winds hit Gujarat’s coastal areas, uprooting trees and resulting in a wall collapse, authorities said.
As the cyclone drew closer to the coast on Wednesday, our correspondent on the ground Tejas Vaidya reported high tides in the Dwarka region.
In Kutch, strong waves swept away several tents located on Mandvi beach – a popular tourist destination.
More so, Authorities are evacuating everyone within 10km (6.2 miles) of the area, BBC Gujarati correspondent Roxy Gadkegar reports.
Teams from the army, navy and state and national relief forces are helping with the evacuation efforts.
In addition, Several parts of neighbouring Maharashtra state have also witnessed heavy rain and high tidal waves.
Four boys, who went missing after venturing into the Arabian Sea off Mumbai’s Juhu area, were found dead on Monday evening, police said.
In Pakistan, the national disaster management authority had moved around 65,000 people from the coasts of Sindh to safer locations by Wednesday morning.
The country’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) says the cyclone is only 300km away from the coastal area of Kati Bandar.
