12 killed as cyclone hits Bengal

At least 12 people were killed and thousands of houses were destroyed as cyclone Bulbul made a landfall in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal on Saturday night. According to reports, 10 people died in West Bengal, while two others died in nearby Odisha state. Hundreds of trees were uprooted by the winds gushing at a speed of more than 100 km/hour. More than 20 mm of rainfall has been recorded. Kolkata witnessed a snarling traffic with the movement completely disrupted in the surrounding areas too. State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the control room and spent several hours monitoring the situation along with Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha. Around 200 people have been moved to a shelter in the Sagar Pilot station of the Kolkata Port Trust. A local resident, Sujata Sanyal, said, "Due to the cyclone all our houses have been damaged. All the food grains are damaged. All our farm animals have died. We are in much pain. We are worried about what we will do about food now." Cyclone Bulbul also smashed into the low-lying areas of Bangladesh on Sunday.