ENVIRONMENT

India assesses damage as Cyclone Fani moves to Bangladesh

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Motorcycles lie on a street in Puri district after Cyclone Fani hit the coastal eastern state of Odisha, India, Friday, May 3, 2019. Cyclone Fani tore through India's eastern coast on Friday as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata. (AP Photo)

Dark clouds loom over river Brahmaputra after Cyclone Fani hit the coastal eastern state of Odisha, in Gauhati, India, Friday, May 3, 2019. Cyclone Fani tore through India's eastern coast on Friday as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Indian officials are trying to find out if there are any casualties from Cyclone Fani, after one of the biggest storms to hit the eastern coast in decades tore through the state of Odhisha, causing heavy damage to infrastructure.

Randeep Kumar of the National Disaster Response Force says roads are blocked due to fallen trees on Saturday. Electrical posts are down causing power disruptions while water supply is also damaged.

The agency is still trying to gauge if there are any casualties.

Mohammad Heidarzadei, an expert on storms and cyclones at Brunel University of London, says the cyclone packed sustained wind speed of 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour when it hit land, placing it under Category 4.

He says it has now headed toward the India-Bangladesh border.