Cyclone Phailin: Over seven lakh evacuated along Odisha coast, say sources

Bhubaneshwar: Cyclone Phailin, classified as "very severe", has made landfall in the coastal town of Gopalpur in Odisha. The monster storm, packing wind speeds of 200 kilometres per hour during touchdown, will continue to remain a "very severe" cyclone for the next six hours, according to the Met department. (Read)

At least five deaths have been reported across the state due to incidents of wall collapse. (Track updates)

But the state government, which has set a ""zero casualty target", is working on a war footing to ensure the safety of people in the worst-affected areas. (Helpline numbers to reach for information)

Over seven lakh people had been evacuated from the coastal areas till 4 pm, according to sources in the Chief Minister's Office. Ganjam, Khordha, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur districts are expected to bear the maximum brunt of the monster cyclone. (Read)

The capital city of Bhubaneshwar is also experiencing strong winds and rains. Several parts of the city have been plunged into darkness owing to power cuts. The airport in the city has already been shut and is expected to remain closed till tomorrow.

500 tonnes of relief material has already been flown into the city by the Air Force through its latest acquisition, the C-17 Globemaster which landed at the airport earlier during the day.

Sandeep Rai Rathore, inspector general of the army's National Disaster Response Force, said 1,200 of the unit's troops had been sent to Odisha.

Police said a rescue had been launched for 18 fishermen stranded at sea off Paradip, a major port in Odisha, after their trawler ran out of fuel.

Paradip halted cargo operations on Friday. All vessels were ordered to leave the port, which handles coal, crude oil and iron ore. An oil tanker holding about 2 million barrels of oil, worth $220 million, was also moved, an oil company source said. (A look at devastating cyclones from Bay of Bengal)