Cyclone Dana updates: Flight operations at Odisha's Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar resumed at 8 am on Friday, October 24, after being temporarily suspended due to Cyclone Dana, which made landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra shortly after midnight on Thursday.
Cyclone Dana live updates: Flight operations resume in Odisha, West Bengal after landfall
According to airport director Prasanna Pradhan, the flights were suspended from 5 pm on October 24 until 9 am Friday as a precautionary measure. However, the flight operations resumed earlier than expected, at 8 am, news agency ANI reported.
Cyclone Dana makes landfall in coastal Odisha
Coastal Odisha was battered by heavy winds and rain as Cyclone Dana, classified as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds reaching up to 110 kmph.
The coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and nearby Jagatsinghpur district witnessed a sudden increase in wind speed.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the landfall process would continue for another one to two hours and that the cyclone is expected to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by later this morning.
Flight services resume in Kolkata
Operations at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport also restarted at 8 am after being closed for flight services the previous day due to the weather warnings.
{{/usCountry}}Operations at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport also restarted at 8 am after being closed for flight services the previous day due to the weather warnings.
{{/usCountry}}Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said he was monitoring the situation at Rajiv Bhavan in Bhubaneswar along with Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management Suresh Pujari and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja.
The Chief Minister reported that around 584,000 people have been evacuated to shelters.
Transportation disrupted, bus services impacted
Bus services at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bus Terminal in Baramunda, Bhubaneswar, faced disruptions as several passengers witness inconevinience.
Additionally, several roads in coastal Odisha were blocked due to uprooted trees resulting from strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Assistant Fisheries Officer in Bhadrak, Sandeep Kumar Behera, stated that all fishing boats were safely anchored as a precaution against the cyclone. He mentioned that once the situation is assessed post-cyclone, actions will be taken as needed according to government protocols.
(With ANI inputs)