May 19, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

India and Bangladesh have been struggling with the Coronavirus breakout for months. According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 102,287 cases have been detected in India with 3,169 deaths. Bangladesh has so far reported 20,995 Coronavirus infection cases at the death tolls of 314. Now a disastrous super cyclone Amphan, formed in the Bay of Bengal, is heading the India-Bangladesh border.

Cyclone Amphan, being rated equivalent to a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, is whirling as far as 700 kilometers (435 miles) with forecast winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour). The super cyclone is expected to make landfall near the Ganges River Delta between the seaside resort town of Digha in India's West Bengal state and Hatiya Island in Bangladesh on May 20.

The first super cyclone on record was a devastating 1999 cyclone in Odisha state that caused more than 9,000 deaths. While government officials are taking precaution measures ahead of this incoming second super cyclone on record, India and Bangladesh have been reportedly evacuating millions of people from coastal areas. Authorities have warned that the super cyclone could cause significant flooding over vast southwestern and southern areas.