Cyclone Fani photos: 8 dead in Odisha as storm weakens to ‘very severe’

Extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' made a landfall in Puri on Odisha coast Friday morning, triggering heavy rainfall coupled with high velocity winds with speed of 175 kmph in vast areas. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

The storm, which entered the state near Puri, brought with it gusty winds at 174 kmph and sheets of rain. Over one million people have been evacuated from coastal regions. (AP)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Stranded passengers rest inside a railways station after trains between Kolkata and Odisha were cancelled in the wake of Cyclone Fani in West Bengal's capital. Around 103 trains were cancelled in Odisha. (PTI)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Cyclone Fani which made a landfall in Odisha coast in May this year was not just a severe cyclone but an “extremely severe cyclone”. There have been only 14 instances of a “severe cyclone” forming in the Bay of Bengal region in April since 1891, and only one of them, which formed in 1956, touched the Indian mainland. Here, Fani had uprooted trees and destroyed thatched structures at some places, including Bhubaneshwar. (PTI)

Kolkata: Office goers wait for a ferry to travel across a river during rainfall in Kolkata. (PTI)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

The East Coast Railways (ECoR) issued a statement saying as many as 103 trains have been cancelled in Odisha alone. Keeping in view the intensifying situation, the ECoR cancelled four more trains today. (PTI)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

As Cyclone Fani moved closer, the West Bengal government sounded an alert in coastal East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas districts, asking tourists to leave seaside destinations and directing fishermen not to venture into the sea. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

The ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm, which emerged from the Bay of Bengal, is the worst to hit India in the last decade. It is likely to weaken to a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm by this evening, the IMD said. (PTI)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

A cyclone making a landfall implies that the first arm of the cyclone has reached the land. The eye of the cyclone, which is calm, is nearly 30 kilometres. (AP)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

An estimated 11 lakh people have been evacuated from the coastal areas in Odisha, according to a senior official in the Special Relief Commissioner’s office. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Other states on the eastern coast, such as West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have also been affected. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Tourists from Sodepur North 24 Parganas in West Bengal wait for bus to leave Puri on Wednesday evening. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

The DGCA has advised all airlines and operators to cancel flights to and from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata, on May 3 and between 9.30pm on May 3 and 6pm on May 4, respectively, in order to avoid passenger inconvenience and safety of operations. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed to the people not to panic as the government is fully prepared to deal with the situation. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha

Odisha: Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra appeals to villagers living in vulnerable low-lying areas to shift to cyclone shelter house in Brahmapur on Thursday. (PTI)

Follow Live updates | Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha