100,000 evacuated as cyclone threatens India and Pakistan
People take photos of high tides at a beach before the due onset of cyclone Biparjoy, in Karachi on June 13.
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from the path of a fierce cyclone heading toward India and Pakistan, with forecasters warning Wednesday it could devastate homes and tear down power lines.
Biparjoy, meaning "disaster" in Bengali, is making its way across the Arabian Sea and is expected to make landfall as a "very severe cyclonic storm" on Thursday evening, government weather monitors said.
Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer a 325-kilometer (200-mile) stretch of coast between Mandvi in India's Gujarat state and Karachi in Pakistan.
India's Meteorological Department predicted the storm will hit near the Indian port of Jakhau late Thursday, warning of "total destruction" of traditional mud and straw thatched homes.
At sea, winds were already gusting at speeds up to 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour), forecasters said.
By the time it makes landfall wind speeds are predicted to reach 125-135 kilometers per hour, with gusts up to 150 kilometers per hour.
"Over 47,000 people have been evacuated from coastal and low-lying areas to shelter," said C.C. Patel, an official in charge of relief operations in Gujarat.
More were expected to be moved inland throughout Wednesday.
India's meteorologists warned of the potential for "widespread damage", including destruction of crops, "bending or uprooting of power and communication poles" and disruption of railways and roads.
In the beach town of Mandvi, streets were mostly empty Wednesday with just a few hungry stray dogs roaming abandoned beach shacks, next to large, rolling waves under strong gusts and grey skies.
The Gujarat state government released photos showing lines of residents clutching small bags of belongings and boarding buses inland away from areas predicted to be worst hit.
