Cyclone Bulbul: 20 Killed in West Bengal, 8 in Bangladesh

At least 20people were killed and several injured as Cyclone Bulbul lashed coastal WestBengal in India and Bangladesh on Sunday.

According toreports, 10 people were killed in West Bengal as the storm made landfall aroundmidnight on Saturday. The cyclone affected nearly 2.94 lakh people, damagedaround 60,000 houses and caused extensive damage to crops in the state, reportssays.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the 'very severe' cyclonic storm weakened into a 'severe' cyclonic storm before it made landfall close to the Sundarban Dhanchi forest in West Bengal. The severe cyclonic storm brought in heavy rain accompanied by strong winds that uprooted trees and snapped cables, bringing normal life to a near-halt.

Moreover,two lives were claimed at Odisha due to heavy rain and high-speed windstriggered by Cyclone Bulbul. As per reports, 8218 people were shifted to 108relief camps, around 5,500 houses were damaged and power and communication weredisrupted after a large number of trees were uprooted due to the severecyclone.

The cyclonealso made its way to neighbouring Bangladesh claiming eight lives and living 30injured. Authorities said that 36 fishermen went missing and around 6,000 homeswere partially or fully damaged.