Impact of cyclone Amphan 'worse than coronavirus': Mamata Banerjee

The impact of cyclone Amphan was "worse than coronavirus", West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said while talking to the media on Wednesday night regarding the destructions of the cyclone on India's West Bengal. 

"Both the North and South 24 Parganas have been battered by the cyclone. Houses, embankments, everything got destroyed. Crop fields washed away. Around 10-12 deaths have been reported so far," she said. 

Mamata Banerjee further said that it will take at least 3 to 4 days to get the detailed report on the damage. 

"We have to re-build everything. I appeal to the Centre -- no politics please, we want humanitarian help," Mamata Banerjee said while mentioning a figure of Rs1 lakh crore as cost of the damages. 

Trees and electricity poles were uprooted, parked cars dashed against each other, homes were waterlogged in low-lying areas, some houses sustained severe damages with window panes shattering and boundary walls crumbling, reports NDTV.

The power supply in North and the South 24 Parganas districts was cut earlier as a precautionary measure. Parts of Kolkata went without electricity for hours.

Meanwhile, the chief minister said that the government was able to move at least 5 lakh people to safety, which reduced the damage. 

The cyclone made landfall in West Bengal on Wednesday after 3pm and slammed into Kolkata with a ferocious look. Later it hit Bangladesh coast via Sundarbans. 

"It is likely to move in a north-northeasterly direction further and gradually weaken," a special bulletin from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) released on Wednesday night said.

The cyclone may move towards Magura, Gopalganj, Rajbari, Sirajganj and Jamalpur in early hours of Thursday while gradually losing its strength.