Cyclone Amphan claims 22 lives

Posted by Anita Froneman on 21 May 2020

A cyclone that hit Bangladesh and eastern India on Wednesday night, 21 May led to the deaths of at least 22 people, according to Al Jazeera. Cyclone Amphan is the most powerful cyclone to have hit the area in more than 20 years.

Thousands are left homeless after winds of up to 170km/h swept through, ripping roofs from houses and uprooting trees.

‘The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus,’ said Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, according to NDtv.

‘Five million people are without power. There have been heavy damages, especially in southwestern Bangladesh in the Sundarbans mangrove forest which got the direct hit … thousands of houses have been washed away due to the tidal surge,’ said Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

‘People are definitely going to lose croplands and fisheries. That area is known for shrimp culture and other aquaculture, so these people are going to lose their livelihood.’

Residents posted footage of the devastation caused by the cyclone:

Image credit: Twitter/ @doctor_chandler






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