Sharjah24 - WAM: Tropical Storm Dana made landfall along India’s eastern coast late Thursday night, uprooting trees with its torrential rains and strong winds, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The storm entered Odisha state with maximum sustained winds of around 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour and gusts expected up to 120 kph (75 mph), according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Officials told the Press Trust of India news agency that the landfall process is expected to continue into Friday as the storm pushes further into northern Odisha, before gradually weakening over the next few hours.
As it made landfall, the storm pounded some districts in Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal state with heavy downpours as gusty winds brought down trees, local media reported.
As of early Friday, there were no deaths nor any major damage reported.
Indian authorities began preparing for the storm earlier in the week. In Odisha, nearly 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk zones and several teams of rescue and aid workers have been deployed. Schools were closed, more than 200 trains were cancelled and flights to and from the capital cities of Odisha and West Bengal were suspended.
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