DHAKA: Seven people are reported to have died due to the "very severe" cyclonic storm Phailin that made landfall near Gopalpur in Odisha on Saturday night.

The cyclone hit Odisha coast with wind speed of around 200 kilometres per hour, causing very heavy rain in most parts of the state.

As a result, communication lines and power supply have been affected in many districts, including capital Bhubaneswar.

Here are the 10 big developments in the story:

    BJD MP Jay Panda has told NDTV that at least seven people have died in Odisha due to the cyclone. "This is significantly lower than what it could have been as many people were shifted shifted to relief shelters before the landfall," he said. (Full coverage)

    Under the influence of the cyclone, several parts of the state like Paradip are witnessing heavy rainfall and strong winds. The Met department has predicted heavy to very heavy falls at a few places in Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh in next 36 hrs. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely to occur over coastal areas of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. (Track updates)

    The morning after the cyclone, cars could be seen tumbled over on the roads in areas like Berhampur. Many trees and electricity poles were also uprooted due to strong winds. Glasses windows of several houses were shattered and roofs of kuchcha houses were blown away. The administration has already begun clearing the roads. They plan to reopen road connectivity in the next 12 hours. (A look at devastating cyclones from Bay of Bengal)

    There was no electricity in capital Bhubaneswar all of last night, Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra told NDTV. The power supply was cut as a precautionary measure, he added.

    Ganjam district in south Odisha is believed to have been the worst hit due to the cyclone, with extensive damage to crops and some buildings, government sources have said.

    Coastal areas in northern Andhra Pradesh however managed to escape the fury of Phailin. In Vishakhapatnam, it didn`t rain overnight. In Srikakulam, some damage has been reported to boats and fishing nets, but early assessment suggests no loss of life.

    After making landfall near Gopalpur, Phailin is moving north-northwestwards and is weakening gradually. Currently, the system is situated 200km inside Odisha near Sambalpur with wind speed of 100 km per hour.

    The cyclone has prompted the country`s biggest evacuation in 23 years with nine lakh people moved up from the coastline in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer places. As the cyclone hit Gopalpur yesterday, tidal waves rose to 3.5 metres. In Ganjam district, there were reports of wind speeds hitting upto 240 km per hour. The cyclone remained "very severe" for six hours after hitting the coast.

    All 56 trains on the Howrah-Visakhapatnam route were cancelled and about 16 trains were diverted. These trains are likely to be cancelled today as well. Odisha`s airport in capital Bhubaneswar was also closed yesterday and is expected to remain so till today evening. 10 flights were cancelled yesterday.

    Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had said yesterday the government is ready with 18 helicopters, 12 aircraft and two ships for rescue efforts.  The Army has deployed 10,000 jawans for relief operations. The Air Force is on standby with 40 planes and choppers in Nashik, Ranchi, Bangalore, Nagpur and Barrackpore and 60 Navy teams, including divers are on alert. However, no demand for deployment of armed forces has been made as yet. The Odisha government will hold a damage review meeting this morning.

Source: NDTV
BDST: 1025 HRS, OCT 13, 2013
RS/BSK