Cyclone Amphan LIVE: Odisha, Bengal on alert; NDRF set for mass evacuation

Cyclone Amphan is developing into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal and can become a very severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours, according to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The NDRF said that it was ready to undertake massive evacuation of 1.1 million people likely to be hit by it. As the storm rolls in towards the Indian shores ominously, the cyclone is likely to unleash heavy rain and high-velocity winds in large swathes of coastal Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The cyclone comes at a time when the country is already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.

Twelve coastal Odisha districts — Ganjam, Gajapti, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda and Nayagarh — are on high alert.

Stay tuned with Business Standard for Cyclone Amphan LIVE tracking