India Faces Second Major Cyclone This Year...Concerns Over Large-Scale Casualties

The Second After 'Tauktae' Hits the West
COVID-19 Situation Still Severe... 200,000 Infections Per Day

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Indian authorities are on high alert as the second cyclone of the year approaches India, which is struggling with the massive spread of COVID-19. Following a large cyclone that struck the west on the 17th, this new cyclone is approaching the east, raising concerns about significant damage.

According to local Indian media such as The Times of India on the 24th, a large cyclone named 'Yaas' has formed in the Bay of Bengal in eastern India and is moving northward. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted that Yaas, which is intensifying, will be a very powerful cyclone with average wind speeds of 155?165 km/h and maximum wind speeds reaching up to 185 km/h. Yaas is expected to make landfall in eastern India around the 26th, striking the eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal.

Indian authorities are in a state of high alert, issuing emergency evacuation orders to local residents and fishing vessels. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), specialized in rescue operations, has been urgently deployed to Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, and military personnel and aircraft have been placed on standby. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held an emergency meeting the previous day to review preparations for the cyclone.

This is the second large cyclone to hit India this year. Earlier, on the 17th, Cyclone Tauktae made landfall in the western state of Gujarat, causing significant casualties and property damage. Before landfall, Tauktae moved northward along the western coast for several days, causing flooding and power outages in southern regions of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and parts of Gujarat. Indian authorities have reported that more than 140 people died due to Tauktae.

India is still struggling to control the COVID-19 crisis, which has been raging fiercely since March. Although the daily new confirmed cases, which surged to 410,000 last month, have recently been on a decline, there are still reports of around 200,000 new infections daily.

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