India and Bangladesh brace for super cyclone

India and Bangladesh brace for super cyclone

Coronavirus quarantine shelters in India were being converted to cyclone shelters ahead of a super storm expected to inflict large scale damage across India and Bangladesh.

India's weather office said the Super Cyclone Amphan had reached winds of up to 145 miles per hour with gusts of around 165 mph over the Bay of Bengal on Monday (May 18) night and was expected to make a landfall on Wednesday (May 20).

Such wind speeds, according to weather officials, could make Amphan one of the biggest storms to hit India in about a decade.

In Bangladesh, officials intensified rescue operations as the cyclone could trigger the worst storm in about 15 years along the country's low-lying coast.

Bangladesh's coastal districts may experience flooding from tidal waves and heavy rainfall with winds packing speeds of up to 98 mph is expected during the cyclone.