India Hit by Mega Cyclone Amidst Ongoing Crises...16 Dead

Worst Cyclone in 20 Years Hits Western India
200,000 Residents Evacuate, Flooding and Collapses Reported Across Areas

[Image source=NASA]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In India, which is battling the worst-ever surge of COVID-19 and a collapse of its healthcare system, a massive super cyclone made landfall, causing at least 16 deaths and widespread flooding damage.

According to local Indian media such as The Hindustan Times on the 18th, the super cyclone named 'Tauktae' made landfall last night in Gujarat state in western India, causing extensive damage. Gujarat authorities reported that more than 16 people have died so far, and numerous homes have been flooded. Power outages have occurred in many areas, rapidly increasing the scale of the damage. The Gujarat government has evacuated 200,000 residents, closed ports, and deployed military forces for emergency rescue operations.

Tauktae's maximum wind speed per hour is estimated to be between 190 and 210 km/h, making it a very powerful cyclone. Gujarat officials stated that such a strong cyclone making landfall is the first time in over 20 years since 1998. Since the end of March, India’s situation, already plunged into chaos due to the resurgence of COVID-19 and the collapse of the healthcare system, is feared to worsen further. According to major foreign media, Udaya Regmi, head of the South Asia branch of the Red Cross, said, "This cyclone has dealt a double severe blow to millions of families already devastated by COVID-19."

India has suffered massive damage from the resurgence of COVID-19 variants, with daily confirmed cases soaring to 410,000 earlier this month. On this day, the Indian Ministry of Health reported 263,533 new daily confirmed cases and 4,329 deaths, indicating that COVID-19 continues to rage fiercely.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.