3 dead in Odisha; Cyclone Fani weakening, moving towards B’desh

Mumbai: Cyclone Fani, the most severe storm since the super cyclone of 1999 in Odisha, made its landfall in Odisha’s Puri on Friday.

The landfall process which began at 8 am will continue till afternoon.

 The casualty figure will expectedly rise after the road communication and telecommunications were restored, enabling the state authorities to gather information about the actual damages.

Hundreds of thatched houses collapsed and asbestos houses also got damaged in the cyclone. Asbestos sheets were seen flying in the air like kites.

Some buses and cars parked on the roads overturned because of the high wind speed.

High-rise buildings and apartments in Bhubaneswar and Puri were seen swinging in the strong wind, causing panic among residents.

Under the impact of the cyclone, coastal district experienced heavy rainfall accompanied by wind speed gusting from 142 to 175 km per hour.

“The landfall of Fani has begun at Puri in Odisha. We have recorded wind speed of 142 km from hour gusting up to 175 km per hour,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Additional Director General of India Meteorological Department, New Delhi.

The Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and other disaster management agencies are on stand-by.