Cyclone Fengal death toll rises to 20 in Sri Lanka, India
Sri Lanka reports 17 deaths, with additional casualties in India
A child is seen in the flooded area following the landfall of Cyclone 'Remal', at singimari village in Assam, India on May 30, 2024.
ANKARA
The death toll from Cyclone Fengal surged to 20 in Sri Lanka and India on Monday.
In Sri Lanka, the storm, which skirted the South Asian island nation on Friday, caused widespread devastation, resulting in 17 casualties due to drowning and landslides, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
Fengal brought heavy rains and severe weather conditions, displacing nearly 470,000 people, who are now seeking refuge in temporary relief camps.
In India, at least three people lost their lives as the cyclone made landfall along the southern Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts early Sunday morning, bringing torrential rains and strong winds, which led to a brief suspension of flights.
The storm, the second to form over the Bay of Bengal this season, packed powerful winds reaching up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) as it crossed the coastline.
Cyclones, which are comparable to hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, are a regular occurrence in the northern Indian Ocean, but their intensity has been increasing due to climate change.
