Cyclone Dana: Rain lashes parts of Bengal, 170 trains cancelled - Check latest updates

Cyclone Dana: Several districts of West Bengal received mean to dense rainfall connected Thursday morning, arsenic terrible cyclonic tempest 'Dana' inched person to the state's seashore and that of neighbouring Odisha, the IMD said.

The cyclonic tempest is apt to marque landfall betwixt Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port successful Odisha aboriginal Friday with upwind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hr (kmph), it said.

The upwind strategy laic 280 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 370 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal) astatine 2.30 am, the IMD said successful a bulletin.

The cyclonic tempest is acceptable to bring dense rainfall successful respective southbound Bengal districts, including Kolkata.

Advising fishermen not to task into the sea, the Met Department said gale upwind with speeds reaching 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph is prevailing implicit northwest Bay of Bengal.

It warned that the upwind velocity implicit the country is apt to summation gradually to 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph till Friday morning, and alteration thereafter.

The coastal districts of Bengal are experiencing mean to dense rainfall and gusty winds since the aboriginal hours of Thursday, portion Kolkata woke up to an overcast entity and intermittent showers.

The bulletin warned of dense to precise dense rainfall with highly dense downpour successful isolated places successful the southbound Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts connected Thursday and Friday.

Public proscription to and from Kolkata's suburbs whitethorn get affected from the evening, arsenic Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled a ample fig of trains connected Thursday and Friday, successful presumption of the cyclone.

More than 170 explicit and rider trains moving done South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction person been cancelled, an authoritative said.

The trains cancelled were scheduled to depart from their originating stations betwixt October 23 and October 27, helium said. The Kolkata-headquartered SER portion is dispersed crossed West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

Besides, the Eastern Railway (ER) volition not run immoderate EMU section bid from Sealdah presumption connected its southbound and Hasnabad sections from 8 p.m. connected Thursday till 10 americium connected Friday, the authoritative said.

The ER besides cancelled 68 suburban trains connected the Howrah part connected Friday morning, helium said.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it is connected precocious alert and has mobilised vessels and craft to respond swiftly to immoderate contingency implicit the Bay of Bengal.

Meanwhile, the NDRF said it has deployed respective teams crossed southbound Bengal to tackle immoderate exigency situation.

Ferry services successful the Sunderbans country dispersed implicit North and South 24 Parganas districts and besides crossed stream Hooghly successful Kolkata and adjoining areas volition stay cancelled successful presumption of the impending inclement weather, officials said.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has besides opened a power country astatine its office here, and cancelled the leaves of each indispensable staff.