Cyclone Yaas destroys homes in India, forces airport closure
May 26, 2021
A powerful cyclone destroyed tens of thousands of mud houses in eastern India on Wednesday, forcing the closure of the busiest regional airport in the city of Kolkata as it brought storm surges to coastal areas, the second such event within a week.
Cyclone Yaas was packing gusts of up to 140 kph (87 mph) as it hit land, authorities said, days after Tauktae tore up the western coast, triggering mass evacuations and piling pressure on authorities battling a deadly second wave of the coronavirus.
Authorities said more than a million people had been moved out of the storm’s path, while television broadcast images of rough seas, strong winds and rains lashing the state of Odisha, with shops and homes boarded up.