Gales Lash India And Pakistan Coast As Cyclone Approaches ibtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ibtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Howling gales and crashing waves pounded the coastline of India and Pakistan on Thursday, hours before the landfall of a powerful cyclone that has prompted mass evacuations.
More than 100,000 people had been evacuated in India and Pakistan ahead of the expected landfall Thursday of a fierce cyclone which could devastate homes and tear down power lines.
Cyclone Biparjoy is set to hit the Saurashtra and Kutch coasts in Gujarat and the adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi and Karachi, near Jakhau Port in Gujarat, according to the India Meteorological Department. Gale winds reaching 70-80 kph gusting to 90 kph are prevailing along and off the Porbandar and Devbhoomi Dwarka district coasts. Nearly 150,000 people have fled the predicted path of Cyclone Biparjoy and small structures like thatched and mud houses could suffer severe damage. Storm surges were expected to reach 3.5 meters with Karachi home to about 20 million people being under threat.