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Hundreds feared killed as cyclone devastates Orissa coast

Several hundred people were feared killed and over 10 million were affected as the super cyclone with a velocity of more than 260 kph battered 10 coastal districts of Orissa for more than eight hours today.

The state government called in the army and the air force to help carry out relief and rescue operations.

"You cannot imagine the devastation. The deaths will be not in tens but in hundreds," Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang told the United News of India on telephone.

Gamang spoke to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and urged him to declare the calamity a national disaster.

The chief minister also urged Vajpayee to immediate release Rs 5 billion for rescue, relief and restoration work.

"The devastation is beyond imagination. More than 200,000 houses have been destroyed and vast tracts in the coastal areas submerged," he said.

All the 10 affected districts remained cut off from the rest of the country. "I have never seen Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cut off from the rest of the country in my life," Gamang said.

Gamang said the affected districts had no power supply and telecommunication links remained cut off. He also spoke to Defence Minister George Fernandes to send in troops, air force helicopters and transport aircraft.

In the Lok Sabha in New Delhi, Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani announced that the armed forces had launched 'Operation Help' for 15 million persons affected by the cyclone in the coastal areas of Orissa and adjoining states.

Making a statement on the demand of the Opposition, Advani said the central government had directed all agencies concerned to undertake relief operation on a war footing and the armed forces would start dropping dry rations tomorrow.

According to initial reports, heavy damage has been reported in the affected areas. More than 100,000 houses have been damaged in the cyclone which hit land this morning between 1030 and 1230 IST, Advani said.

He said the Union Cabinet would meet tomorrow to assess the losses and take urgent steps to provide relief to affected persons.

Advani said telecom, electricity and other essential services had been affected badly. Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other cities had been left without power supply.

He said the army, air force and navy, which had been put on alert, were taking all steps to launch relief operations.

The Indian Railways have also decided to transport rations for the affected persons free of cost, he added.

Giving details, the minister said the cyclone hit Paradip port this morning at a maximum speed of 260kph. The diameter of the cyclone was very big and all nine coastal districts of Orissa were affected badly.

The government also fears a heavy loss of life as the cyclone affected a big area, Advani said, adding that even road links in certain areas have been cut off.

The storm of rare intensity left petrified residents fearing for their lives in the capital and the thickly populated areas along the coast.

Massive loss of life and property was feared, but a clear picture will emerge only after the storm abates.

The hardiest of trees fell to the ferocity of the gales, which swept away much of what came in its way. Torrential rains continued to lash the capital city, which is about 65 km from the Puri coast.

The flat terrain along the coast allowed the strong tidal waves to reach far inland without obstruction.

The cyclone stormed Bhubaneswar at around 0830 IST. The gale speed had touched a howling 260 kph by 1500 IST. Telephone and electricity poles snapped like matchsticks, leaving the telecommunication network in a shambles. Power outages plagued the affected areas with little prospects of early restoration of supply.

The air traffic control tower in Bhubaneswar reportedly suffered damage, leaving little scope for early resumption of air traffic. Fallen trees blocked the roads and the highway between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Cuttack's Barabati Stadium was also reportedly damaged.

The director of the area cyclone-warning centre said a cyclone of such intensity was very rare in the Bay of Bengal. But it is expected to weaken in the next 24 hours. The worst affected areas were Paradip, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jaipur, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara.

The army moved in to provide immediate relief. Two signal attachments were flown in with INMARSAT terminals to re-establish telecommunication links.

Electrical and mechanical engineers of the army are already trying to restore power supply.

Huts and other fragile structures collapsed, forcing the inmates to seek shelter in temples and schools.

In New Delhi, Prabhat Samantray, member of Parliament from Kendrapara, said both Paradip and Kendrapara had been completely cut off.

Tidal waves rose two-storeys high, breaking embankments at Talachua in Paradip and Erasama. Large parts were inundated in the coastal areas. But details were not immediately available.

Ships had been taken off the harbour, he said.

Several buildings, including the state secretariat complex, were damaged. Eyewitnesses said no tall tree was standing in the entire city anymore. Old-timers said they had never seen such devastation.

The building housing the UNI offices in the heart of the city was among the structures damaged. It forced the agency to shut down its computerised news operations. The only means of communication available was the telephone line, which also threatened to go off anytime.

Full details of the havoc wrought by the cyclone are yet to come in, but it was feared to have left a ghastly trail, especially in the coastal areas.

Meanwhile, the railways cancelled 14 passenger and mail trains scheduled to run in the cyclone-affected areas.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Met department cut off from cyclone observatories

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