Ahmedabad (Gujarat) : The NASA Earth Observatory has called the very severe storm Biparjoy a 'long-lived cyclone' as it kept churning the Arabian Sea for nearly a week. The cyclone finally made landfall in Gujarat yesterday night and caused a trail of destruction. Near Bhavnagar town, a shepherd and his son were found dead and several of their sheep were killed after a flash flood swept them away, officials said.
Even before making landfall, the storm had caused over four deaths. With the last deaths, the death toll touched six so far, official sources said. The authorities expressed relief as the intensity of the storm reduced and its speed came down further than expected. Biparjoy Cyclone moved inland after staying in the sea for many days and it is moving northeastward, likely to weaken into a depression by today evening when it may lay over Rajasthan.
Hundreds of trees and electric poles were uprooted while general life came to a standstill in the affected areas. Power cuts plunged several areas into darkness during the night. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) initiated rescue and relief operations. The 'very severe cyclonic storm' weakened after landfall which was completed after midnight.
Cyclone Biparjoy, a Bengali word meaning disaster or calamity, caused heavy destruction during landfall. The cyclone moved with a speed of 13 kmph while approaching the coast while its wind speeds were 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph, the IMD said. The teams of NDRF and SDRF, BSF, Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard have been deployed for relief and rescue operations.
