Cyclone Biparjoy: India evacuates 30,000 from Gujarat coastal areas

More than 30,000 people in India's Gujarat have been shifted by Tuesday as the state is going to brace Cyclone Biparjoy which is likely to make landfall by Thursday evening, reports NDTV.

The storm, currently located over the east-central Arabian Sea, is expected to impact Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch regions and Pakistan's coasts, with wind speeds of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph, reports the India Meteorological Department (IMD)

"So far, various district administrations have shifted nearly 30,000 people to temporary shelters," said Alok Kumar Pandey, State Commissioner of Relief, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The country's army remained on standby, prepared to assist in relief efforts.

The IMD has issued a warning for extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in coastal parts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region, especially for the districts of Kutch, Porbandar, and Devbhumi Dwarka.

A significant number of Trains in the western region have been cancelled, terminated short of their destination, or originated short of their source.

High tidal waves hit Mumbai on Wednesday morning as the cyclone intensified. It also prompted strong winds and light showers in the city. Meanwhile, as the storm halted monsoon advancement, the heatwave sweeping Bihar continued, reports the Times of India.

The cyclone may cause low-lying areas of Gujarat to be flooded. It has an extensive damaging potential and it is likely to impact the Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most, the IMD said on Tuesday.

/KN/MHK/