India: Death toll climbs to 41 in cyclone Fani

NEW DELHI

Death toll from cyclone Fani has surpassed 40 in the Indian state of Odisha since a week it made landfall in eastern India, officials said.

Out of total 41, 21 deaths were reported in the temple town of Puri, according to officials from State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC).

The storm wreaked massive destruction in eastern India. A week after the cyclone hit the state, many parts of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the state, and Puri continue to reel under its impact.

Some 15 million people in 14 districts and nearly 17,000 villages have been affected by the natural disaster, a statement by the SEOC read. It also damaged some 508,000 houses in Odisha.

In Puri, 160 people were admitted to various hospitals after the cyclone which destroyed some 189,000 houses in the district.

Sanjay Singh, Information and Public Relations Secretary, said that water supply was restored in affected districts.

“We are now working to restore power supply in Bhubaneshwar and other cities and hope to achieve our target by May 12,” Singh told Anadolu Agency.

Fani made a landfall impact on last Friday morning, leaving behind a trail of destruction and devastation.

According to Philip Klotzbach from Colorado State University, Fani is the strongest cyclone in the North Indian Ocean since 2008.