Cyclone Biparjoy: 21,000 people shifted from Gujarat's coastal areas to safer places

As cyclone Biparjoy with an extensive damaging potential is likely to make landfall near Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch district on June 15 evening, the administration has so far shifted 21,000 people from different coastal districts to temporary shelters while several NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby, an official said on Tuesday.

He said the evacuation process was still underway and all the targeted population will be shifted to safer places by this evening.

The state government is aiming to evacuate people within 10 km of the coast, the official said, adding so far one fatality related to the cyclone has been recorded.

"We have already started evacuating people residing near the coast who are likely to be affected the most during the landfall. So far, various district administrations have shifted nearly 21,000 people to temporary shelters. The evacuation process is still on and all the targeted population will be shifted by today evening to safer places," said State Commissioner of Relief, Alok Kumar Pandey.

Ahmedabad IMD director Manorama Mohanty said the cyclone is likely to cross between Mandvi in Kutch and Karachi in Pakistan near Jakhau port with 125-135 kmph wind speed gusting to 150 kmph on the evening of June 15.