As Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal, it has now left Kolkata airport flooded and many structures within damaged. At least 17 people died in Bengal as due to the cyclonic storm and heavy rain caused a trail of devastation.
Footage of Kolkata airport showed flooded runway, hangars and tarmac. In one portion of the airport, the roof caved in. Scenes from Kolkata airport showed the damage left behind as large airliners stood in a river of water with facilities damaged.
All operations at the airport had been shut. Only cargo and evacuation flights are operating for now, with passenger flights suspended since March 25, when the country went into lockdown to fight coronavirus.
Cyclone Amphan slammed into Bengal on Wednesday, May 20 uprooting trees, damaging power lines and destroying many buildings in Kolkata and other parts of the state.
Watch video here:
#WATCH West Bengal: A portion of Kolkata Airport flooded in wake of #CycloneAmphan pic.twitter.com/28q5MdqoD2
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2020
In the first few hours, Amphan already destroyed over 5,000 houses in Minakhan, Haroa, Basirhat Hingalgunj and Hasnabad areas of North 24 Parganas district. Most of the areas in Howrah and North 24 Parganas faced massive power cuts due to heavy rainfall.
Roofs of several houses also collapsed as a result of the strong winds during the cyclonic spell. There have been damages inside the state secretariat building Nabanna as well.
