Cyclone Biparjoy Updates: Pakistan Evacuates 62,000 as Landfall at 11:30 am; Wind Speed to Reach 150 kmph

Cyclone Biparjoy Updates: Around 66,000 people had been evacuated from coastal towns and small islands in Pakistan as Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall in Sindh on Thursday.

Strong winds, showers and high tides heralded the arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to destroy homes and tear down power lines.

Biparjoy, a cyclone whose name means “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.

Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Biparjoy:

– Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer a 325-kilometre (200-mile) stretch of coast between Mandvi in India’s Gujarat state and Karachi in Pakistan.

– Wind speeds are predicted to reach 125-135 km/h, with gusts of up to 150 km/h, by the time it makes landfall.

– Pakistan Climate Energy Minister Sherry Rehman said that Cyclone Biparjoy will hit Sindh’s Keti Bandar on Thursday at 11 am (local time) and added that 62,000 people had been evacuated from the country’s southeastern coast, with 75 relief camps set up at schools and colleges.

– The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast gusts of up to 140 km/h in the southeastern province of Sindh, accompanied by a storm surge reaching 3.5 metres (11.5 feet).

– Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the cyclone has moved away from Karachi and is currently at a distance of 370 kilometres south of the country’s financial capital.

– The cyclone was previously 340 km south of Karachi. The cyclone moved north-northeastward during the last six hours, the department said.

– Pakistan has deployed the military to evacuate around 100,000 people to safe places from the low-lying coastal areas in the southern Sindh province.

– Rehman said that commercial flight operations would be suspended as the cyclone drew closer to the country.

– The areas that are likely to be affected include Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Ormara, Tando Allahyar and Tando Mohammad Khan.

– Sherry Rehman said fishermen had been warned to stay off the water and small aircraft were grounded, while flooding was possible in the megacity of Karachi, home to about 20 million people.