Thousands evacuated in India and Pakistan as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches
CTV
Pakistan's army and civil authorities are planning to evacuate 80,000 people to safety along the country's southern coast, and thousands in neighbouring India sought shelter ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy, officials said Tuesday.
Pakistan's army and civil authorities are planning to evacuate 80,000 people to safety along the country's southern coast, and thousands in neighbouring India sought shelter ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy, officials said Tuesday.
The cyclone is forecast to slam ashore in the densely populated region on Thursday. It is likely to be the most powerful to hit western India and Pakistan since 2021, and follows devastating floods that ravaged Pakistan last year, leaving 1,739 people dead and causing US$30 billion in losses.
Biparjoy was packing maximum sustained winds of 180 km/h (111 m.p.h.), according to the India Meteorological Department. It's projected to hit land near Jakhau port in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said the cyclone was 470 kilometres (292 miles) south of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, on Tuesday morning.
In India, thousands were evacuated from low-lying regions, including residents living within 5 kilometres (3 miles) of the coast in Gujarat. Those within 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) of the coast may have to be moved out over the next two days if required, officials said.
In Gujarat, C. C. Patel, director of relief in the state government, said 20,580 people from Gujarat's coastal districts have been moved "to relief camps where they will be provided with food, drinking water" and other essentials.
Authorities also banned gatherings along the beaches and shorelines during the cyclone. All ports, including two of India's largest, Mundra and Kandla, have been shut down as a precaution.
Government officials in Gujarat told Press Trust of India news agency that one woman was killed and her husband injured after strong winds caused a tree to fall on their motorcycle.
