Cyclone Biparjoy kills 2, uproots power lines after landfall in India, churns toward Pakistan
CTV
Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India on Friday before aiming its lashing winds and rain at part of Pakistan that suffered devastating floods last year.
Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India on Friday before aiming its lashing winds and rain at part of Pakistan that suffered devastating floods last year.
A man and his son died trying to save their livestock in Gujarat state, where the storm came ashore late Thursday after more than 180,000 people took shelter in the two countries.
The storm made landfall a night earlier, packing windspeeds of 85 kph (53 mph) and gusting up to 105 kph (65 mph) through the coastal regions of western Gujarat. Pakistani authorities were on high alert after evacuating 82,000 people.
The full extent of the damage in western India wasn't immediately known. In addition to the two deaths, three people were injured in nearby Devbhumi Dwarka district, officials said. About 100,000 people who were evacuated in western India have been temporarily relocated to relief camps, authorities said.
The storm did other damage upon landfall, including uprooting trees and electricity poles. Officials in the coastal town of Mandvi said heavy winds threw some shipping containers into the sea at Mundra port, one of India's largest ports.
The cyclone was expected to weaken later Friday and move toward the neighboring Indian state of Rajasthan on its way to southern Pakistan, which is still recovering from deadly flooding last year.
People in that region lined up to receive food donated by charities, aid agencies and local authorities. Pakistan's national disaster management agency said the cyclone was 125 kilometers (75 miles) south-southwest of Keti Bandar, a port in flood-hit Sindh province.
