Fierce Cyclone Phailin today left a trail of destruction in coastal Odisha where nearly nine lakh people were hit and crops worth Rs 2,400 crore destroyed even as one person was killed in Andhra Pradesh in a house collapse.
The cyclone, which packed 220 kmph at landfall yesterday in Odisha, weakened this morning and was moving northwards and will settle into a deep depression by the evening. Under its impact, heavy rains lashed parts of Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
While seven people were killed in Odisha, the deaths took place as uprooted trees fell on them before the cyclone made the landfall, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Minister S N Patro said in Bhubaneshwar.
In Andhra Pradesh, a 60-year-old man died in Bulivadu village of Srikakulam district following heavy downpour unleashed by the severe storm. A 27-year-old fisherman died in his sleep in the early hours today in a relief camp at Kaviti, a state disaster management official said.
IMD Director General l S Rathore said at noon that the wind speed of the cyclone is now 100 to 110 kmph.
A flood warning has been issued in Bihar as widespread rains are expected in its wake.
Giving details of the devastation caused by the cyclone, Patro said 14,514 villages in 12 districts have been affected, hitting a population of 8,53,620.
There were no major casualties though Phailin was no less than a super cyclone as largescale evacuation of people to storm shelters prevented casualties which were seen in the 1999 super cyclone that left nearly 10,000 dead.
The Minister said 8,73,646 people have been evacuated.
Over five lakh hectares of standing crops have been destroyed by the gushing waters causing an estimated loss of Rs 2,400 crore, he said. Extensive damage has also been caused to 'kutcha' houses besides partial disruption of power, communication lines and rail and road traffic in various parts of Odisha, particularly in Ganjam district, which faced the storm's onslaught.
Thousands of trees and poles were uprooted in Bhubaneshwar and several buildings have got weakened in Parampur town, above 20 kms from Gopalpur, Patro said.
In Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, relief operations have been launched in full swing as heavy rains coupled with strong winds continue to lash most parts of the coastal areas.
Srikakulam Collector Saurabh Gaur said 39 villages in the cyclone-affected areas are surrounded by water.A cargo ship, MV Bingo is believed to have sunk in therough seas caused by Phailin with its crew on a lifeboat last sighted east of Sagar in West Bengal, Kolkata Port Trust Chairman RPS Kahlon told PTI here.
"The Panama-registered cargo ship MV Bingo is feared sunk as the crew was sighted on a lifeboat yesterday east of Sagar, 25km from the coast," he said.
The bulk cargo carrier carrying 8,000 tonnes of iron ore left for China from Sagar anchorage on October 11.It may possibly have had tried to sail back to port following damage sustained on the rough seas, he said.
Kahlon said a Dornier aircraft and hovercraft belonging to Coast Guard were searching for the ship which sailed with 19 Chinese and one Indonesian crew member on board.
In Andhra Pradesh, state Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha told PTI that 19.8 cm rainfall had been recorded at Itchapuram, 15.42 cm at Kaviti, 14.76 cm at Kanchali, 10.8 cm at Kothabommali and 10.7 cm at Sompeta in Srikakulam district, which have borne the brunt of the cyclone.
"The sky is clear. We are cutting uprooted trees to clear traffic. Everything is normal and peaceful," Radha said.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation with Chief Secretary PK Mohanty this morning and asked the administration to focus on speedy rescue and relief measures, particularly in Srikakulam district.
Prashant Dar, Commandant, National Disaster Relief Force, said people, who have been given shelter in relief camps, have been provided with food, medicine and other essential material.
The teams of NDRF, which is tasked to minimize the loss on all fronts, intensified their operations since morning while the Indian Navy has also been put on alert.
"We have started rescue operations since 6 am as the weather relented a bit. We have received reports the 110 people stranded in two locations where our teams are on their way to rescue them," he said.
Hundreds of trees have been uprooted in cyclone-affected areas and fell on road causing traffic disruption.NDRF personnel are trying to remove blockades to clear the way.
As a precautionary measure, power supply to some parts of the district was stopped as tens of electrical poles in those areas collapsed.Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the primary aimwas to minimise loss of human lives and they had successfully managed to do so.
"Property to the tune of several crores has been damaged...Rehabilitation will now," he said.
Fishermen in coastal districts of the state have been advised not to venture into sea.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Vice Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said, "Wind speed in Gopalpur where the eye of the cyclone passed through has come down to 90-100 kmph at 8 AM. We are still trying to assess the devastation caused by the disaster."
The NDMA said 29 teams, comprising around 2,300 personnel, of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in rescue operations in Odisha, 19 teams (around 1,500 personnel) have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and seven teams (around 550 personnel) in West Bengal.
There are reports about 50-60 persons being stranded in Kavitri Mandal and 40 people at Barwa in Srikakulam for which teams of NDRF are approaching by removing uprooted trees.
With uprooted high tension towers and signals, damaged platforms and tracks blocked by trees due to high-velocity winds, East Coast Railways said no trains were moving in Bhadrak-Khurda Road-Palasa-Vizianagaram sections.
While the up line signal of Ichhapuram Station was uprooted, the overbridge and platform shelter at Brahmapur, Ganjam, Somepeta, Balugaon, Mancheswar and Khurda Road stations were either blown away or damaged, ECor Railway said in a press release.
With the wind speed of the cyclone gradually reducing, engineering, traction distribution and signalling and telecommunication staff have been kept in readiness to visit the affected spots by tower wagon and diesel light engines.
The running of major trains between Kolkata and Chennai passing through Odisha would be affected due to these developments.
Eighteen fishermen, who were trapped in a trawler near Paradip ahead of Cyclone Phailin, have returned safely today.
The men jumped from the trawler and swam to safety at Ersama in Jagatsinghpur district.
The fishermen were trapped around 4 km from Paradip. Though they had contacted the Coast Guard, rescue operations could not be conducted as the sea was extremely rough.