India and Bangladesh to evacuate 2 million people as Cyclone Amphan approaches

Amphan is expected to weaken before it hits India’s eastern states and the south and southwestern coasts of Bangladesh, but still pack winds of up to 175km/h (109mph)

Bangladesh officials warned it could become the worst storm to hit the region since Cyclone Sidr in November 2007, which killed more than 3,000 people

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Evacuees will be required to wear masks and encouraged to wear gloves while in the shelters. Photo: EPA

Published: 11:17pm, 18 May 2020Updated: 1:12am, 19 May 2020

India and Bangladesh began evacuating more than 2 million people on Monday as a cyclone barrelled towards their coasts, with officials racing to ready extra shelters amid fears of coronavirus contagion in cramped refuges.

Indian forecasters said Cyclone Amphan had reached winds of up to 240km/h (149mph) with gusts of 265km/h (165mph) over the Bay of Bengal late on Monday, ahead of the expected landfall on Wednesday.

Bangladesh disaster management secretary Shah Kamal said more than 12,000 shelters, including 7,000 schools and colleges, were being readied to avoid crowding amid fears of the virus spreading.

Evacuees would be required to wear masks and encouraged to wear gloves while in the shelters, he added.

Cyclone Amphan closes in near the coast of West Bengal and Odisha. Photo: Handout

Up to 2 million residents from low-lying areas would be evacuated from Tuesday, he said, adding that they had capacity to shelter more than 5 million evacuees.

Amphan is expected to weaken before it hits India’s eastern states and the south and southwestern coasts of Bangladesh, but still pack winds of up to 175km/h (109mph) – making it a category six storm on India’s seven-level scale for tropical storms.