100,000 evacuated as cyclone heads to India, Pakistan
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from the path of a fierce cyclone heading towards India and Pakistan, with forecasters warning on Wednesday it could devastate homes and tear down power lines. Biparjoy, a cyclone whose name means "disaster" in Bengali, is making its way across the Arabian Sea and is expected to make landfall as a "very severe cyclonic storm" on Thursday evening, government weather monitors said. Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer a 325-kilometre stretch of coast between Mandvi in India's Gujarat state and Karachi in Pakistan. India's Meteorological Department predicted the storm would hit near the Indian port of Jakhau late on Thursday, warning of "total destruction" of traditional mud and straw thatched homes. At the usually bustling Jakhau port, howling wind battered more than 30 large fishing boats dragged up out of the water onto the shore, as dozens of stray dogs roamed around the port's entrance. At sea, winds were already gusting at speeds up to 180 kilometres per hour, forecasters said. Wind speeds are predicted to reach 125-135 km/h, with gusts of up to 150 km/h, by the time it makes landfall. India's meteorologists warned of the potential for "widespread damage", including the destruction of crops, "bending or uprooting of power and communication poles" and disruption of railways and roads. (AFP)