Daily Times

A rapidly intensifying super cyclone is moving across the Bay of Bengal and will likely sweep over coastal areas along the India-Bangladesh border by Wednesday evening, affecting millions of people, according to the meteorology departments of both countries.

The tropical cyclone — known as Amphan — has strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 265 kilometers (165 miles) per hour, which is equivalent to a super typhoon or a Category 5 hurricane.

It will hit at a time when both countries are struggling with the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed a combined total of more than 3,500 lives from over 124,000 confirmed cases.

Authorities in eastern India and Bangladesh were relocating tens of thousands of villagers away from the coastline on Tuesday ahead of a super cyclone that is expected to inflict large-scale damage as both countries struggle to contain the coronavirus.

Coronavirus quarantine shelters in India were being converted to cyclone shelters, leaving authorities to manage social distancing to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In neighbouring Bangladesh officials were moving people to higher ground and urged them to maintain social distance and wear masks as the country has recorded over 20,995 coronavirus cases and 314 deaths so far.

India’s weather office said the Super Cyclone Amphan had reached winds of up to 240 kmh (145 mph) with gusts of around 265 kph (165 mph) over the Bay of Bengal on Monday night and was expected to make a landfall on Wednesday.

Such wind speeds, according to weather officials, could make Amphan one of the biggest storms to hit Indian in about a decade.

The cyclone comes as India eased the world’s biggest lockdown imposed in April to contain the coronavirus which has infected more than 100,000 people and killed 3,163.