Cyclone Dana: Over 4 lakh evacuated in Odisha, Bengal; flights, trains cancelled

More than 4 lakh people in Odisha and West Bengal have been evacuated to safe shelters as cyclone Dana is set to make landfall in the region on Thursday night. Both states are preparing for very heavy rainfall and strong winds till Friday morning.

With wind speeds expected to reach up to 120 kmph, the cyclonic storm is expected to strike between Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port by Friday morning.

In Odisha, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Puri districts could be severely affected and three lakh people have been evacuated so far. However, a change in cyclonic path could affect adjacent districts and the government has set a target to evacuate seven lakh more people. 

In West Bengal, the district that could be most affected include Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Kolkata and Jhargram.

Flight operations at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 15 hours from Thursday evening to Friday morning. 

East Coast Railways in Odisha cancelled 198 trains in the state. Eastern Railway has cancelled 190 local trains in Sealdah division, West Bengal, from Thursday 8 pm to Friday 10 am while South Eastern Railway has cancelled 150 express and passenger trains passing through Odisha.