Cyclone Sitrang Live Updates: Sitrang weakens into depression over northeastern states

A cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday, killing at least 9 people, destroying houses, uprooting trees and disrupting road, power and communication links, officials said. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Sitrang made landfall on the west coast helped save lives but the full extent of the casualties and damage would only be known after communications are restored, they said. The cyclone barrelled in from the Bay of Bengal early in the day with winds gusting up to 88 kph (55 mph) and a storm surge of about 3 m (10 ft) that flooded low-lying coastal areas. Power and telephone links have been largely cut and coastal areas plunged into darkness, officials said. Most of the people killed were crushed by falling trees.

The remnant of the cyclonic storm "Sitrang" which created a deep depression over Bangladesh has further weakened into a depression over northeast Bangladesh, north-northeast of Agartala and south-southwest of Shillong, informed India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.

Air connectivity in the northeast has been severely affected due to the impact of Cyclone Sitrang, with at least 10 scheduled flights cancelled since Monday morning. The Railways are also on high alert to tackle any eventuality.