Cyclone 'Amphan' makes landfall

Extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Amphan' made landfall at 2:30 pm on Wednesday between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya island in Bangladesh, the meteorological department said. The landfall process, triggering copious rain and gusty winds, will continue for about four hours.

"The forward sector of the wall cloud region is entering into land in West Bengal. The intensity of the cyclone near its center as the landfall process started was recorded at 160-170 kmph, gusting to 190 kmph," the weatherman said. Heavy rain and gale-force wind have affected several districts in the Gangetic West Bengal since morning, increasing in intensity with each passing hour.

At 3:05 pm, the wind speed at Dum Dum airport was recorded at 76 km per hour, the meteorological office said. The system is likely to move north-northeastwards after landfall and pass close to Kolkata on its eastern side, likely causing extensive damage and flooding in low-lying areas, it warned.