Cyclone Titli enters West Bengal, causes destruction in Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur districts
The cyclone has killed 13 people so far.
Cyclone Titli, which has wreaked havoc in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, weakened into a deep depression and entered West Bengal on Friday, causing heavy rainfall. The cyclone has killed 13 people so far – four in Odisha, eight in Andhra Pradesh and one in West Bengal.
The cyclone caused damage in West Bengal’s Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur districts adjoining Odisha, PTI reported. In Paschim Medinipur, a 35-year-old security guard died when a 12-foot factory wall collapsed on him at Kharagpur, District Magistrate P Mohan Gandhi said. As many as 10 other people were injured in rain-related incidents.
In Jhargram district, the storm led to mud houses and Durga Puja pandals collapsing in Rohinibazar, Sankrail and Jhargram block areas.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain in North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, Howrah and Hooghly districts. Kolkata, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall till Saturday, it added.
Fisherfolk have been asked not to venture out to sea on the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha till Saturday. Tourists at Digha and other seaside resorts have been asked not to undertake any activities in the sea, as a squall of speeds ranging between 45 and 65 km per hour will rage.
In Odisha, four people have died so far, including a child. On Friday, parts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada districts were flooding, and cities like Cuttack, Puri and Balasore faced water logging, The Indian Express reported. As many as 16 blocks across the state have received more than 200 mm of rain. The Rushikulya, Vamsadhara and Mahendra Tanaya rivers are flowing above the danger mark.
As many as 14 National Disaster Response Force teams and and 12 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams have been deployed for rescue and relief operations, state Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi said. “The situation is most serious in Ganjam,” he told reporters. “We have requested the Navy to provide help in Aska and Purushottampur towns.”
Meanwhile, a Super Fast Tatkal Special Train will run from Bhubaneswar to Bangalore Cantonment in Bengaluru on October 15 at 7.50 am, to help stranded passengers reach southern states, the East Coast Railway announced. The train will stop at Khurda Road, Balugaon, Brahmapur, Palasa, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Perambur, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Bangarapet, Krishnarajpuram and Bangalore East between Bhubaneswar and Bangalore Cantonment, ANI reported.