Cyclone Fani death toll at 3 in Odisha as it weakens to 'very severe'

Three people have been killed due to cyclone Fani that made landfall in Odisha at 245 kmph, officials have confirmed.

Having spent days building up power in the northern reaches of the Bay of Bengal, tropical Cyclone Fani finally struck the coast of Odisha state at around 8 am local time (0320 GMT), the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Hundreds of disaster management personnel are deployed in the state, and doctors and other medical staff were told to defer any leave until May 15.