A cyclone is expected to make landfall near Alibag in the Indian state of Maharashtra, a region already recovering from the impact of the coronavirus, on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Indian Department of Meteorology.
Maharashtra has been hit harder by Covid-19 than any other state in India. A total of 72,300 cases and 2,465 deaths related to the virus have been reported there, and the storm poses a new challenge for authorities trying to enforce social distancing rules.
The department said that Cyclone Nisarga It will cross northern Maharashtra, including the city of Mumbai, home to more than 18 million people, and the adjoining coastal state of Gujarat in western India.
The storm’s eye diameter is approximately 65 km (40 miles) as observed through radar, and the wind speed was 90 to 100 kph (56 to 62 mph), with gusts of 110 kph (68 mph) ), Wednesday morning local time, according to the department.
More than 60,000 people from the coastal districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, and more than 50,000 people living in low-lying areas along the southern Gujarat coast have been evacuated, according to the authorities
The Indian National Disaster Response Force has deployed 20 teams in Maharashtra, 16 teams in Gujarat and two teams in Daman and Diu Union Territory.
More than 80 people were killed and thousands more became homeless after Cyclone Amphan crashed into coastal towns and cities in India and Bangladesh last month. Amphan was the most powerful cyclone It was once recorded in the Bay of Bengal, but weakened before making landfall.
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