Cyclone Amphan’s Death Toll Rises to 80 in India and Bangladesh- NYT

An unruly cyclone that slammed India and Bangladesh has taken more than 80 lives. Thousands of homes were wiped out. The NYT reported, “Many of the dead were crushed by falling trees, electrocuted by downed wire or buried inside collapsing buildings as Cyclone Amphan pummeled the region, leaving a wide swath of devastation and grief.”

The Indian side of the Bay of Bengal coast received heavy toll on its lives and settlements, particularly, the metropolis of Kolkata was completely devastated. Many believed that the evacuation efforts and the weakening of storm will spare more lives, yet the cyclone was able to bring misery on the people under a different threat of pandemic.

“Among the reported deaths, the authorities said 10 people have died in Bangladesh and at least 73 in India”, said the report. The hardest-hit place was Kolkata with 15 deaths. The cyclone’s eye was located near the metropolis for some time with 100-mile-an-hour winds. Trees and electric poles littered the roads of Kolkata.

Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest also got walloped. It houses endangered species including the Bengal tigers.   

West Bengal’s Chief Minister pointed out that the region was in a “warlike” situation. The lives lost to cyclone could even surpass the toll of Covid-19.

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Link to the original article-

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/world/asia/cyclone-amphan-india-bangladesh.html