More than million seek shelter as powerful cyclone expected to make landfall on India’s eastern coast

According to details, Cyclone Yaas, which has intensified into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’, is about to hit the states of Orissa, also known as Odisha, and West Bengal where millions of people are already living in highly vulnerable coastal areas.

This is the second cyclone in a week to lash India, after Cyclone Tauktae killed more than 150 people.

The Indian Meteorological Department has warned people that the cyclone is expected to make landfall around midday (0630 GMT), would generate waves higher than rooftops in some areas.

Cyclone Yaas comes at a time when India is already fighting against the deadly coronavirus outbreak, infecting thousands of people on daily basis.

As per scientists, the cyclones are becoming more severe and frequent in the northern Indian Ocean as a devastating consequences of changing climate.

Last week Cyclone Tauktae claimed at least 155 lives in western India. The latest system, Cyclone Yaas, has forced the evacuation of more than 1.2 million people in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha.