Cyclone death toll 79

BHUBANESWAR, Oct 19 (UNI, PTI) — At least 79 persons were killed, more than 1,000 injured and hundreds left homeless in Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh when a severe cyclonic storm slammed against the country’s east coast on Sunday night, officials said today.

The cyclone, packing winds that reached speeds of up to 200 kmph, tore through southern Orissa districts, uprooting trees, pylons and telephone lines. The dwellings of hundreds of poor collapsed and crops in vast areas were damaged as heavy rains accompanied by gales lashed the region.

Ganjam district in Orissa bore the brunt with 56 deaths. As many as 33 of these deaths were reported from Berhampur town and Sadar. Officials said the death toll could mount as rescuers reach fresh areas. Many people were feared trapped under collapsed buildings.

Two persons each were killed in Gajapati and Puri districts and one in Khurda district. Three persons died in the cyclone-battered Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.

Rescue efforts in Orissa were hampered as the affected areas were cut off and at some places vast stretches of land were inundated, forcing the authorities to take the help of Army helicopters to drop food packets.

The Orissa Government today sought Rs 50 crore from the Centre to tackle the situation. A central team, comprising Union Ministers Joel Oram and Debendra Pradhan, made an aerial survey of the devastated Ganjam district.

Unofficial reports put the death toll in Ganjam district at more than 100. Electricity supply in the district, where over 50,000 trees were uprooted, had totally collapsed. The Gopalpur port also was said to have suffered extensive damage.

The cyclone meanwhile, had weakened into a depression and lay over the Bihar plateau and Gangetic West Bengal today, but heavy rain in its wake continued to affect normal life.

A report from Patna said it marred Dasehra celebrations as puja pandals and kiosks were damaged and people very wary of venturing out. Ranchi and Jamshedpur in south Bihar recorded 57.1 and 118.4 mm rainfall, respectively, in the past 24 hours.

In West Bengal also, where at least 10,000 persons were rendered homeless, the usual puja fever was missing. Trains on the east coast route were running late by as much as 24 hours at the Howrah central station.

The flood situation worsened in the Bangaon and Basirhat sub-divisions of north 24 Parganas district with about 3.3 lakh people affected. Some 50,000 persons were still living in relief camps set up during the earlier spell of floods in the district.

Train services in the Khurda road division of South Eastern railway had remained suspended following the calamity with long distance trains either terminated or controlled short of their destination, railway sources said.

Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang made an aerial survey of the worst-affected Ganjam district yesterday but could not land anywhere in Berhampur because of water-logging.

The Indian Air Force helicopters had started air-dropping food packets in marooned areas.

Union Minister for Mines and Minerals Naveen Patnaik, had reached Berhampur for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. He had a discussion with state’s Revenue Minister Jagannath Patnaik about release of assistance from the National Calamity Relief Fund.

The Revenue Minister, who on a visit to Ganjam district had been stranded by the cyclone, said the death toll might go up further.

He said seven days emergency relief was being provided to the affected people and if necessary it would be extended by another week.

Orissa Revenue Minister Jaganath Patnaik has requested the Prime Minister and the Union Agriculture Minister to visit the cyclone-affected areas and sanction Rs 50 crore as ad hoc central assistance to take up various cyclone mitigation measures.

Mr Patnaik undertook an on-the-spot review of the relief operations. In a statement issued here, a senior official said more than five lakh people were affected in Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and other coastal district.

The damage to public and private property has been put at more than Rs 200 crore.

Emergency relief operations have started and ex-gratia and house building grants were being distributed to the bereaved families and the homeless, respectively, a statement said.

A sum of Rs two crore has been put under the disposal of the Ganjam Collector, the worst-affected district, to take up relief work.

Mr Patnaik, who is now camping at Berhampur to supervise relief operation, has directed the departments concerned to restore basic infrastructure to Ganjam and Gajapati districts immediately.

Meanwhile, two union ministers deputed by the Prime Minister to assess the damages caused by Sunday’s cyclonic storm in Orissa coast described the situation as "devastating" and urged the state government to undertake relief and rescue work on a war-footing.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Joel Oram and Union Minister of State for Surface Transport Debendra Nath Pradhan, who made an aerial survey of the cyclone affected areas of Ganjam district, told newspersons at the airport here that there had been considerable damage to life, property, livestock and standing crop.

The two union ministers said they would apprise the Prime Minister of the gravity of the situation and urge him to release special assistance to meet the situation.

HYDERABAD: Three persons were killed in the cyclone-induced heavy rain and high velocity winds in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh where relief operations were launched on a war-footing.

Two persons were crushed under a tree in Kavita mandal, while another died when his house collapsed at Kanchili mandal in the district bordering Orissa on Sunday, official sources said.

Though the state escaped the fury of the cyclonic storm Srikakulam district faced a trail of devastation.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would undertake an aerial survey of the district on October 23.

Normal life was thrown out of gear following heavy rain and high velocity winds which disrupted telecommunication, electricity, rail and road networks.

In the seven mandals of the district, swirling waters swamped several villages, State Relief Commissioner Bhaskara Prasad said. He said 41 teams had been sent to the affected areas to provide immediate relief and succour to victims.

There was large scale damage to houses and plantations of coconut, cashewnut and banana. The exact estimate of damage was yet to be assessed.