Cyclone Fani Update: Air India Resumes Operations From Kolkata Airport, Offers to Carry Relief Materials to Affected Areas of Odisha Free of Cost

Kolkata, May 4: National carrier Air India on Saturday stepped forward to help the residents of Odisha affected by Cyclone Fani, one of the strongest storms to batter the Indian subcontinent in decades. The airline said it will re-commence all flight operations at Kolkata airport at 09.45 am on Saturday. It further added saying that if any (NGO/ Civil society/ SHG etc) wants to send relief materials to cyclone affected area of Odisha, the airline would ship it free of cost.  Cyclone Fani Enters West Bengal Through Odisha’s Balasore, Triggers Heavy Rainfall in Digha, Mandarmani, Kharagpur Among Other Cities.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that severe cyclone Fani weakened into a cyclonic storm and lay centered at 60 km NW of Kolkata at 0530 IST on May 4. It is expected to weaken into Deep Depression and move into Bangladesh by noon.

The extremely severe cyclonic storm made a landfall in Odisha on Friday morning and caused havoc across the state, uprooting trees and damanging houses. Over a million people were evacuated to safer places in wake of the looming threat of the deadly cyclone.

After the destruction in Odisha, Fani entered West Bengal post midnight on Saturday and triggered heavy rainfall in the state. The storm lashed Fani lashed cities and towns in coastal Bengal including Digha, Mandarmani, Tajpur, Sandehskhali and Contai. Cities like Kharagpur and Burdwan were also severely affected as the cyclonic storm uprooted trees and metal hoardings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 04, 2019 10:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).