cyclone Remal – Artifex.News

Bangladeshi Man Was Lost In India For Years, A Cyclone Helped Him Get Found

admin — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 18:31:15 +0000

Md Milan had left behind his wife and two children.

Kolkata:

Cyclonic storm Remal, which ravaged parts of India and Bangladesh recently, came as a blessing in disguise for at least one family. A man, presumed dead by his family in Bangladesh nearly four years ago, was traced to Namkhana in West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district during the evacuation of people from riverine and coastal areas to cyclone shelters further inland.

Anup Sasmal, a civil defence volunteer from the district, was involved in the evacuation process hours before Remal made landfall when he spotted a man at the Sasmal Bandh area of Namkhana. Despite the inclement weather, the man sat next to the embankment. On approaching him, Mr Sasmal realised that the man was suffering from some sort of mental illness.

He could neither provide a name nor an address but murmured something about fish and Bangladesh.

Mr Sasmal somehow coaxed the man into accompanying him to a cyclone shelter. At the shelter, names and addresses of occupants had to be jotted down in a register and an exception had to be made in the man’s case. After the worst was over, he was put up at a roadside government rest house under Mr Sasmal’s protection.

Finally, Mr Sasmal placed a call to the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), an organisation of amateur radio operators known for their acumen in reuniting such people with their families.

Incidentally, the WBRC had been requested by the South 24-Parganas district administration to send a team to Sagar Island ahead of Remal’s landfall to maintain communication links in case other modes failed.

“We received Mr Sasmal’s call and tried to speak to the man. He was incoherent. However, two things were clear. He was a resident of Bangladesh and had something to do with the fish trade or fishing. We immediately activated our friends (also amateur radio operators) in Bangladesh. It didn’t take them long to trace a family in the Dolkha village of Nangolkote in the Comilla district of Bangladesh whose missing son matched the description,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, WBRC.

“Officials at the Nangalkote police station were extremely cooperative. It was ascertained that the unidentified man was Md Milan, son of one Rustom Ali, from that village,” Mr Biswas added.

Mr Milan left behind his wife Fancy, a son and a daughter when he went missing nearly four years ago. The children are now 9 and 16 years old. The whole family broke down when WBRC members connected them through a video call with Mr Milan.

It appears that Mr Milan was a fish trader and had left home to buy fresh supplies before he went missing. He had been carrying a lot of cash and it was presumed that he had been looted and murdered by criminals. How he reached Namkhana in West Bengal remains a mystery.

“It was a touching moment when the family saw Mr Milan on their mobile screen. His wife and cousin were weeping and his son, who must have been around five years old when he disappeared, recalled how his father had promised him a bicycle. Nature has its strange ways. Had it not been for Remal, Mr Milan would have been just another vagabond roaming the streets. We thank Anup Sasmal for his efforts and officials of the Nangalkote police station in Bangladesh, as well as our fellow HAMs from that country for this remarkable achievement,” Mr Biswas added.

Efforts have begun to procure documents from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata to enable Mr Milan’s repatriation to the neighbouring country where he will be reunited with his family.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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40 Killed In Landslides, Flash Floods Across Northeast After Cyclone Remal

admin — Fri, 31 May 2024 04:57:48 +0000

At least 40 people have died and over two lakh have been affected across the northeast after flash floods, heavy rains, and landslides triggered by Cyclone Remal over the last four days.

Incessant rain and landslides have left parts of the northeast isolated as flood waters have submerged railway tracks. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled express, passenger and goods trains bound for south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram since Tuesday as floodwater inundated railway tracks across the region.

On Thursday, a portion of National Highway 6 that connects Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram collapsed after a landslide.

Flash floods in Assam have affected thousands in nine districts as Kopili river, which flows through Assam and Meghalaya, is flowing over the danger mark. Over 35,000 people have been moved to relief camps in Assam.

In Manipur, three people have died while rescue operations are on to assist the thousands affected by the flood. The state has declared a public holiday on Friday as flood waters have entered areas in capital Imphal

In Mizoram, 27 people have died while search operations are on to locate several others missing after Tuesday’s landslides.

“So far, a total of 167 villages have been affected by the floods. Due to disruptions in communication, reports of affected families continue to trickle in from across the state. In the wake of severe landslide, triggered by incessant rain, 27 people have been found dead. Search efforts continue unabated, the death count is expected to rise,” Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma told NDTV.

The Mizoram Chief Minister announced ₹ 4 lakh compensation for the families of those killed in the calamities. He said that his government has earmarked ₹ 15 crore to tackle the disaster.

Cyclone Remal, the first major cyclone of the year, left a trail of destruction in India and Bangladesh after it made landfall on Sunday evening.

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Northeastern States Cut Off From Rest Of India By Rail As Tracks Submerge

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 02:50:56 +0000

The NFR had cancelled a large number of express, passenger and goods trains.

Guwahati/Agartala:

Several northeastern states, including Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, and Assam (southern part), remained cut off from the rest of the country by rail as railway tracks were waterlogged and damaged after landslides triggered by incessant rain in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, officials said on Wednesday.

A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said that railway tracks were inundated due to heavy rains or damaged in at least ten places in the New Haflong-Bandarkhal section under the Lumding division in southern Assam’s Dima Hasao district, which is a connecting route to south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram.

“Our engineers and workers are working round-the-clock to restore rail services but heavy rain and adverse weather conditions badly affected the restoration work,” the NFR official told IANS.

He said that full-fledged work could not be started until the rain stopped.

The NFR had cancelled a large number of express, passenger and goods trains bound for south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram since Tuesday.

According to the NFR official, passenger and goods train services have been affected in the region since April 25 owing to heavy landslides causing damage to railway tracks in the Jatinga Lumpur-New Harangajao section under the Lumding division after heavy rains lashed the mountainous Dima Hasao district.

Considering the damaged railway tracks and weak soil in the region, the NFR recently operated a limited number of trains in the daytime on the hilly route, besides regulating long-distance and express trains. The disruptions in services caused a major shortage of transport fuel — petrol and diesel — and other essential goods in southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. Due to the heavy rain and landslides, highway connectivity was also affected in these states, which are heavily dependent on fuel, essential items, food grains and other commodities from the outside.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Deadly Bangladesh cyclone one of longest seen

admin — Wed, 29 May 2024 09:32:45 +0000

Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in low-lying Bangladesh and neighbouring India on May 26 evening with fierce gales and crashing waves, left at least 38 people dead, destroyed thousands of homes, smashed seawalls and flooded cities across the two countries.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladeshi weather experts said on May 28 that a deadly cyclone that carved a swath of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they’d experienced, blaming climate change for the shift.

The toll includes 12 workers who died on May 28 when a quarry collapsed in India’s Mizoram state, which the government attributed to torrential rains as the storm progressed inland.

Members of rescue teams look for survivors amidst the debris next to a stone quarry that collapsed following torrential rains brought by Cyclone Remal on the outskirts of Aizawl, Mizoram on May 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

“In terms of its land duration, it is one of the longest in the country’s history,” Azizur Rahman, director of the state-run Bangladesh Meteorological Department told AFP, adding it had battered the country for more than 36 hours.

In contrast, Cyclone Aila, which hammered Bangladesh in 2009, lasted around 34 hours.

Cyclones have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh in recent decades, and the number of superstorms hitting its densely populated coast has increased sharply, from one a year to as many as three, due to the impact of climate change.

Slow-moving and longer-lasting storms bring greater destruction.

“I’ve seen many storms in my life but nothing like this cyclone”, said Asma Khatun, an 80-year-old widow who lives with her son, a fisherman in Bangladesh’s hard-hit coastal town of Patuakhali.

“Before, the storm came and went away… now it doesn’t seem to go away. The incessant pouring and heavy wind kept us stuck for days”.

‘Impact of climate change’

Mr. Rahman said the cyclone triggered massive rains, with some cities receiving at least 200 millimetres (7.9 inches).

Storm surges breached multiple embankments, meaning seawater flooded into farmland, damaged freshwater fish farms common along the coast, or corrupted drinking water.

Bangladesh’s state minister for disaster Mohibbur Rahman said 3.75 million people had been affected by the cyclone, more than 35,000 homes were destroyed, and another 115,000 damaged.

“We don’t know where to go,” said Setara Begum, 75, surveying the wreckage of her home after its tin roof was ripped off.

Meteorologist Mr. Rahman said the cyclone formed more quickly than almost all the cyclones they have monitored in recent decades.

“Of course, quick cyclone formation and the long duration of cyclones are due to the impact of climate change,” Mr. Rahman said.

“It took three days for it to turn into a severe cyclone from low pressure in the Bay of Bengal… I’ve never seen a cyclone formed from a low pressure in such a quick time,” he said.

“Usually, a cyclone is formed in the south and southwest of the Bay of Bengal, then takes seven to eight days to turn into a severe cyclone.”

People come through an uprooted tree damaged by strong winds following landfall of Cyclone Remal in Guwahati, Assamon 28 May 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Ritu Raj Konwar

Drowned, electrocuted, crushed

But while scientists say climate change is fuelling more storms, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced death tolls.

Around a million people in Bangladesh and neighbouring India fled inland seeking safety — but many people preferred to stay put to guard their homes.

In Bangladesh, Cyclone Remal killed at least 17 people, according to the disaster management office and police, who reported on May 28 the additional deaths of a husband and wife, “crushed under stacks of bricks” when their house collapsed.

Some drowned. Others were killed by debris, falling trees or electrocuted by falling power lines.

Thousands of electricity poles were torn down, and power is out across large areas, said Biswanath Sikder, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board.

“More than 20 million people are without electricity,” Mr. Sikder told AFP.

In India, 21 people died, according to the latest tolls on May 28, including eight in West Bengal, one in Assam, as well as 12 quarry workers killed in Mizoram.

But the worst impact was stemmed by the expansive Sundarbans mangrove forest straddling Bangladesh and India — where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet the sea, Bangladesh’s state weather department said.

The crucial sea-water coastal forests help dissipate the violence of such storms.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned this month that half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse due to climate change, deforestation and pollution.

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Cyclone Remal:1 Student Dead, 12 Injured As Heavy Rain, Storms Pound Assam

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 08:35:26 +0000

Schools have been shut in the affected districts amid heavy rain

New Delhi:

Heavy rain and storms have disrupted the normal life in Assam leaving one student dead and 12 injured.

The student died after a tree fell on the auto-rickshaw in which he was travelling at Dighalbori in Morigaon district.

In a separate incident, 12 children were injured after a tree fell on their school bus in Sonitpur district.

Trees were uprooted in several places across the state, including Guwahati, because of the strong winds. Power supply was disrupted in lower Assam as electric poles fell, and water-logging was reported from different towns, officials said.

Schools have been shut in the affected districts, they said. Because of the weather, ferry services were also stopped in Guwahati, Jorhat, Tezpur, Morigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, South Salmara, Barpeta, Cachar and Karimganj districts.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority has asked people to avoid staying in vulnerable structures, avoid going to water-logged areas, stock up on essential items and contact authorities in case of an emergency.

Amid the storms and relentless rain, teams from the State Disaster Response Force, along with police and forest department officials, have been involved in the relief and rescue operation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged the citizens not to venture out unless there is an emergency. “Heavy storms are lashing parts of the State and is expected to continue. I’ve instructed officials to be alert to respond to exigencies at the earliest,” Himanta Sarma posted on X – earlier known as Twitter.

Several districts of Assam have been on high alert in the wake of forecast for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in neighbouring West Bengal on Sunday.

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At Least 16 Dead In India, Bangladesh Due To Cyclone Remal

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 03:26:35 +0000

Bangladesh shut down electricity supply to some areas in advance to avoid accidents.

Satkhira, Bangladesh:

Strong gales and heavy rain triggered by the first major cyclone of the year lashed the coastlines of India and Bangladesh on Monday, killing at least 16 people and cutting power to millions.

The winds had not stopped as night fell, with water rising in many places and overwhelming drainage systems, Bangladeshi climate expert Liakath Ali said.

“Many people are stranded – it will be another long night ahead with millions not having electricity or shelter,” he said in a statement. “And people having no idea of how damaged their homes, land and livestock are.”

Cyclone Remal is the first of the frequent storms expected to pound the low-lying coasts of the South Asian neighbours this year as climate change drives up surface temperatures at sea.

Packing speeds of up to 135 kph, it crossed the area around Bangladesh’s southern port of Mongla and the adjoining Sagar Islands in West Bengal late on Sunday, weather officials said, making landfall at about 9 p.m.

More than 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, are at high health, nutrition, sanitation and safety risk, said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

At least 10 people were killed in Bangladesh, disaster management chief Mijanur Rahman told Reuters, adding some victims died en route to shelters or when their homes or walls collapsed, or drowned during the storm.

“People are usually very reluctant to leave their livestock and homes to go to cyclone shelters,” he said. “They wait until the last minute when it is often too late.”

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Mohibbur Rahman said the cyclone destroyed nearly 35,000 homes across 19 districts. An additional 115,000 homes were partially damaged.

“Many areas remain waterlogged, and fish enclosures and trees have been devastated. As more information becomes available, the full scope of the impact will be clearer.”

Mangrove Forests Flooded

In West Bengal, four people were electrocuted, authorities said, taking the death toll in the state to six.

Bangladesh shut down electricity supply to some areas in advance to avoid accidents, while in many coastal towns fallen trees and snapped electricity lines further disrupted supply, power ministry officials said.

Nearly 3 million people in Bangladesh were without electricity, officials added. West Bengal authorities said at least 1,200 power poles were uprooted, while 300 mud huts had been razed.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said in a Facebook post that Remal has caused extensive damage nationwide, urging people to be patient as repairs were under way.

“Our crews began repairing the lines as soon as the wind speed subsided,” he said.

The cyclone also disrupted around 10,000 telecom towers, leaving millions without mobile service.

The rain and high tides damaged some embankments and flooded coastal areas in the Sundarbans, home to some of the world’s largest mangrove forests, which are shared by India and Bangladesh.

Flooded roads disrupted travel in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Rain also flooded many streets in Kolkata, with reports of wall collapses and at least 52 fallen trees.

Kolkata resumed flights after more than 50 were cancelled from Sunday. Suburban train services were also restored.

Both nations moved nearly a million people to storm shelters, about 800,000 in Bangladesh and roughly 110,000 in India, authorities said.

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Mamata Banerjee On Skipping INDIA Bloc Meeting Ahead Of Poll Results

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 01:23:32 +0000

File photo

New Delhi/ Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she will not attend the meeting of the INDIA bloc on June 1 due to the last phase of Lok Sabha polls and ongoing relief work after cyclone ‘Remal’ hit the state’s coastal regions.

According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders in the afternoon of June 1, coinciding with the last round of polling.

Addressing an election rally in Kolkata, Ms Banerjee mentioned her inability to attend the INDIA bloc meeting due to the scheduled elections in the state on that day.

“The INDIA bloc meeting has been fixed on June 1. But I have already said I can’t go on June 1 as there is an election in our state on that day. So far I know there are elections in Punjab, UP and Bihar. Voting will continue till 6 pm, and at times it extends beyond that (6 pm),” she said.

Ms Banerjee highlighted the dual challenges of post-cyclone relief work and ongoing elections, emphasising her priority towards relief efforts.

“How can I leave everything behind and go? My priority is relief work. Even if I am holding a meeting here, my heart goes out to those people (affected by the cyclone),” she said at the Kolkata rally.

Cyclone Remal, with wind speed reaching 135 kmph, claimed four lives in West Bengal and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and property in the state’s coastal areas as it tore through West Bengal and Bangladesh, officials reported on Monday.

The TMC had withdrawn from the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January but affirmed its commitment to remain part of the opposition alliance at the national level.

During the election campaigns in the last two months, Ms Banerjee had expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would win the Lok Sabha elections and affirmed her involvement in the anti-BJP alliance at the national level.

Sources in the TMC revealed that voting will be conducted on nine seats, including two seats in Kolkata, in West Bengal on June 1, which are crucial for the party.

Apart from the Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar, other constituencies in the state that will go to polls on that day include Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other top leaders will exercise their franchise on the day, and, therefore, they will be unable to attend the meeting, a source said, adding that the party has attended all meetings of the opposition bloc so far.

The source added that the TMC has conveyed this to the organisers.

The first meeting of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in Patna on June 23 last year, followed by meetings in Bengaluru on July 17-18, 2023, and in Mumbai between August 31 and September 1, where the opposition parties adopted resolutions to contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly.

The fourth meeting of the opposition bloc was held in Delhi on December 19.

The next gathering of opposition leaders took place in Delhi on March 31, where top leaders shared the stage at the “Save Democracy” rally held against the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. A similar ‘Ulgulan’ rally was held in Ranchi on April 21.

The TMC has been part of all these meetings and rallies.

At the March 31 rally in Delhi, TMC’s parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, announced that the party would remain part of the INDIA bloc.

The TMC, which is in power in West Bengal, does not have any seat-sharing deal with the Congress or any other INDIA bloc partner in its home state. But its candidate Laliteshpati Tripathi in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi has been supported by ally Samajwadi Party.

Twenty-eight opposition parties came together to form the INDIA bloc. However, some parties such as Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) later switched over to the NDA.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Morning Digest | IMD retains ‘above normal’ forecast for monsoon; DRDO chairman Samir V. Kamat gets one year extension, and more

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 01:13:31 +0000

Here is a select list of stories to start the day

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Cyclone Remal in West Bengal: Cyclone Remal Moves Nearly Northwards, With Speed Of 15 Kmph: Weather Office

admin — Mon, 27 May 2024 07:47:29 +0000

Cyclone Remal News: Waterlogging has been witnessed in parts of Kolkata

New Delhi:

The India Meteorological Department on Monday informed that Cyclone Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 15 kilometres per hour.

“The Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 15 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred at 08:30 hrs IST of today over the same region,” IMD posted on X.

According to the IMD, the severe cyclonic storm Remal has weakened into a cyclonic storm in the early hours of Monday and is expected to gradually weaken further.

“Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal weakened into Cyclonic Storm at 0530hrs of the 27 May about 70km northeast of Canning and 30km west-southwest of Mongla. The system is likely to gradually weaken further,” IMD posted on X earlier.

Following the weakening of cyclone Remal, the flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

“Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0859 hrs, after it was closed for flight operation yesterday in view of the #CycloneRemal,” the official X handle of Kolkata Airport posted.

A passenger Debali Datta said, “I had my flight yesterday which got delayed. The airport authority informed me that it will depart today. This is because of the cyclone. Since we got to know beforehand, it did not create a lot of trouble for us.”

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose with the Raj Bhavan task force also went on a field visit after cyclone Remal made landfall yesterday night.

“Raj Bhavan task force has just returned from the field visit. We are all greatly relieved that no reported casualty is there. Remal cyclone is weakening and the people of Bengal have been able to brave it with fortitude and courage. We are watching in case there is any need for any help. Raj Bhavan task force is ready. I thank the entire people of West Bengal for the solidarity which they have expressed,” Bose said.

Following the landfall of cyclonic storm ‘Remal’, waterlogging has been witnessed in parts of Kolkata with heavy rain.

Several trees were also uprooted in Kolkata’s Alipore area as heavy rain and gusty winds lashed several parts of West Bengal.

The IMD earlier informed that the storm ‘Remal’ would continue to move nearly northwards for some more time and then north-northeastwards and weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm.

The cyclone moved northwards and crossed the Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal Coasts between Sagar Islands and Khepupara close to southwest of Mongla, said IMD.

“The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ over the North Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwards, with a speed of 13 kmph during past 06 hours, crossed Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal Coasts between Sagar Islands and Khepupara close to southwest of Mongla near Latitude 21.75N and Longitude 89.2E between 22:30 hrs IST of 26th May to 00:30 hrs IST of 27th May 2024 as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speed of 110 to 120 Kmph gusting to 135 Kmph,” said IMD in a post on X.

“It lay centred at 01:30 hrs IST of today, the 27th May, 2024 over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal, near latitude 21.9N and longitude 89,2E about 115 km east of Sagar Islands (West Bengal), 105 km west-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh), 70 km southeast of Canning (West Bengal) and SO km south-southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh), The system would continue to move nearly northwards for some more time and then north-northeastwards and weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm by morning of 27,” added the post.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Kolkata Airport Resumes Flight Ops After 21 Hours Of Suspension

admin — Mon, 27 May 2024 05:04:11 +0000

The last flight to depart from Kolkata airport on Sunday was at 12.16 pm.

Kolkata:

Flights services from the Kolkata airport resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended for 21 hours in view of cyclone Remal, an official said on Monday.

The first plane to depart on Monday was IndiGo’s Kolkata-Port Blair flight at 8.59 am, while the first one to land in Kolkata was SpiceJet’s flight from Guwahati. It landed at 09.50 am, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) top official said.

Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0859 hrs, after it was closed for flight operation yesterday in view of the #CycloneRemal. pic.twitter.com/crpOWTLO09

— Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) May 27, 2024

Check-in was on for some other flights, the official said.

The last flight to depart from Kolkata airport on Sunday was at 12.16 pm.

Though the process of resuming flight operations has begun, it will take some more time for the situation to become normal, sources at the airport said.

The cyclone which made landfall around midnight on Sunday brought heavy rain in the southern part of West Bengal, including Kolkata.

The authorities of Kolkata airport have decided to suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon in view of the possible impact of cyclone Remal.

The precautionary measure was taken after a meeting of the stakeholders of the NSCBI Airport here on Saturday, the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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