Biparjoy cyclone live: Two dead and nearly 1000 villages without power as storm weakens

National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel were seen carrying out a clearance operation in Bhuj after Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ made landfall along the Gujarat coast yesterday.

The Indian meteorological department said Cyclone Biporjoy set a record for the longest life over the Arabian Sea with a lifespan of or more than 10 days. The 2019 Cyclone Kyarr over the Arabian Sea had a lifespan of 9 days, he said.

Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers overboard in western India before directing its strong winds and rain on a part of Pakistan that suffered devastating floods last year .

A man and his son have died trying to save their livestock in Gujarat state, where the storm hit on Thursday night after more than 180,000 people fled across the two countries.

The storm made landfall a night earlier, packing winds of 85 km/h (53 mph), with gusts of up to 105 km/h (86 mph) across coastal regions of Gujarat state, in western India. Pakistani authorities were on high alert after evacuating 82,000 people.

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The weakening Cyclone Biparjoy circling along India and Pakistan moved east-northeast today, senior officials from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

It is now centered 30 km from Bhuj in Gujarat and in the evening it is expected to develop into a deep depression over Saurashtra and Kutch and adjacent areas with gusts of 50-60 km/h to 70 km/h, a said Dr. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD.

Satellite visuals of Cyclone Biparjoy were captured by Nasa, just before it turned into a “very violent cyclonic storm” around the west coast of India and southern Pakistan, moving upwards from the Arabian Sea.

He added that “the long-lasting cyclone had wind speeds of 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour on June 14, making it a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale”.

At least two people stranded in Gujarat’s low-lying Rupen Bandar were rescued by India’s National Disaster Relief Forces after Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in the coastal state.

The landfall process of the “very severe cyclonic storm” began around 6:30 p.m. along the Saurashtra-Kutch coast and was completed after midnight, an Indian official said.

The eye of the cyclone, which crossed the Arabian Sea for more than 10 days, was located about 20 km southwest of the port of Jakhau, 120 km northwest of Devbhumi Dwarka and 50 km east west-southwest of Naliya, Press Trust of India reported.

The landfall indicates a cyclonic storm moving over land after being over water.

Approaching the coast of Gujarat, the cyclone moved at a speed of 13 km/h. On landing, the wind speed was 115 to 125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h, the IMD said.

Indian officials said the intensity of Cyclone Biparjoy which hit Saurashtra-Kutch region dropped from “very severe” to “severe” category within hours of making landfall in coastal areas of Gujarat.

The cyclone moved northeast and weakened into a cyclonic storm and will become a depression in the evening over southern Rajasthan, the official said.

The cyclone unleashed damaging winds of up to 140 km/h (86 mph), battering the region with relentless rain as trees and power poles were uprooted, while seawater poured into villages in the areas. bass.

Hundreds of trees were ripped from the ground, as damaged communications towers, toppled utility poles, solid objects were thrown. The cyclone kicked up dusty squalls which resulted in near zero visibility in some areas.

Several areas are affected by power outages as high winds snapped power wires and poles causing power outage in 45 villages in Maliya tehsil, the official said.

Cyclone Biparjoy is so large that it could be seen from space, according to astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, on the International Space Station: