Seven dead as cyclone approaches India, Pakistan

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India and Pakistan are bracing for a major cyclone. Associated Press/Photo by Rafiq Maqbool

Seven dead as cyclone approaches India, Pakistan

Four boys drowned in rough seas Tuesday off the coast of western India near Mumbai. Three more people died in the western Indian province of Gujarat, where a wall collapsed due to strong winds from the cyclone in the Arabian Sea. Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall Thursday in northwest India and southern Pakistan. Authorities in Pakistan planned to evacuate 80,000 people, and Indian officials planned to relocate more than 20,000 people who live within six miles of the coast.

What other preparations have the countries made ahead of the storm? Indian officials halted fishing activities off the coast of Gujarat. Several ports suspended operations ahead of the storm, and paramilitary troops in Pakistan assisted with evacuations. The storm could bring sustained winds over 80 miles per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report on Cyclone Idai, which devastated Mozambique in 2019.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.