Thousands of people have been left homeless in the wake of Cyclone Amphan, which slammed into India’s eastern coast on Wednesday afternoon, as authorities race to provide relief efforts in communities already stricken by the coronavirus.
Amphan, which was the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal before it weakened, ripped apart homes, tore down trees, washed away bridges and left large predominately rural areas without power or communications.
The state of West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday at least 12 people had died in eastern India, with one young girl in the Howrah district killed after a wall collapsed inside her home.
