Deadly cyclone kills at least 14 in India and Bangladesh

A deadly cyclone pounded eastern India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Gloria Tso reports.

A deadly cyclone pounded eastern India and Bangladesh on Wednesday (May 20).

It killed at least 14 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The capital city of India's West Bengal state, Kolkata, took the brunt of the storm as Cyclone Amphan tore down trees, smashed cars, and left residents wading through flooded streets.

The massive storm barrelled out of the Bay of Bengal with winds up to 115 miles per hour.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 500,000 people had been evacuated.

With rain continuing, she said the hardest hit areas were not immediately accessible.

In neighboring Bangladesh, officials said at least four people were killed and power supplies have been cut off in some districts.

Authorities there moved around 2 and a half million people to storm shelters this week, including hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

Rescue operations have also been complicated by efforts to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

In West Bengal and neighboring eastern Indian state Odisha, authorities have struggled to house evacuees since shelters were being used as quarantine centers.

And police said some people were unwilling to go to the shelters out of fear of contracting the virus.