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Satellite images show Cyclone Biparjoy on Thursday, just before it reached the coast of Pakistan
Photo: NASA Worldview / EOSDIS / AP
The powerful tropical storm "Biparjoy" reached the coasts of Pakistan and India on Thursday evening. At least one person in Pakistan and two people in India have died so far. This was announced by the civil protection in both countries on Friday morning.
In India, 23 people were also injured in the affected state of Gujarat. Footage on local television showed fallen trees and damaged power poles, causing power outages in several parts of Gujarat. The heavy rain continued early on Friday.
Pakistan also experienced heavy rainfall overnight and damage to trees and power poles in the southern province of Sindh. Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman spoke on live television of dozens of damaged houses. In the metropolis of Karachi, however, the intensity of the storm with comparatively moderate rainfall was less violent than feared, according to the local disaster management authority.
The cyclone had reached the Indian mainland on Thursday evening with a lot of wind and rain. According to the Indian weather service, it reached wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. In Pakistan, the storm hit the mainland around midnight and, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Institute, was still blowing at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour over the affected regions.
Previously, more than 100,000 people had to leave their homes in the coastal regions of both countries and had been accommodated in emergency shelters.
India and Pakistan experience hurricanes again and again. Pakistan's government considers the current cyclone to be the most severe cyclone the country has experienced in around 25 years. Worldwide, the intensity of extreme storms is increasing due to climate change.
ZOB/DPA