20 May

A powerful cyclone is approaching India and Bangladesh, causing fears of devastation in tandem with the spread of COVID-19 infections at shelters.

India's weather authorities say Cyclone Amphan was spawned in the Bay of Bengal off the eastern coast of India.

Amphan is moving north, approaching the eastern coast of India and Bangladesh, while slightly losing power. It may make landfall on Wednesday.

Weather officials had forecast gusts of up to 115 kilometers per hour, as well as storm surges. They warn Amphan could cause damage similar in scale to a cyclone that killed about 10,000 people in eastern India in 1999.

Authorities are trying to evacuate millions of people in India and Bangladesh, but this is raising concerns that crowded shelters could become breeding grounds for the coronavirus.

NHK