Kolkata: Severe cyclonic storm Amphan lay at 95 km south of Paradip, Odisha and south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal as of 4:30 pm on Wednesday. West Bengal and Odisha Governments have been evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas and shifted them to safe locations.

     The cyclone Amphan touched the land; it is approaching Digah in West Bengal. According to IMD sources, the process which began at 2.30 pm will continue for four hours and will hit Kolkata, later in the evening. In a press briefing, IMD Chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that the eye of cyclone is expected to touch land anytime now. “The intensity of the cyclone near its centre as the landfall process started was recorded at 160-170 kmph, gusting to 190 kmph,” he said.

Heavy rain and gale wind have affected several districts in the Gangetic West Bengal since morning and the intensity of the downpour and wind increased gradually with every passing hour. The extremely severe cyclonic storm lay at 106 km south-southeast of Paradip, Odisha, 95 km south of Digha, West Bengal at 4:30 pm on Wednesday. Lakhs of people in West Bengal and Odisha have been evacuated from vulnerable areas and shifted to safer locations.

NDRF Chief S.N. Pradhan said in a media briefing that 20 teams of the NDRF teams deployed in West Bengal and another 20 teams in Odisha to deal with any emergency situation arising out of Super Cyclone Amphan. The super cyclone is gradually weakening, its impact is unlikely to be very severe on Odisha, said IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.