Cyclone Phailin leaves a trail of destruction

An unprecedented and timely evacuation drive, said to be biggest ever in India, ensured minimum casualties as Cyclone Phailin slammed into coastal Odisha.
Seen here, residents walk through floodwaters after cyclone Phailin made landfall at Gopalpur junction in Odisha.

23 people, including two in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, have died in the aftermath of the "very severe" storm, which has since weakened.
Seen here, a damaged petrol pump in Berhampur, about 180 kilometers south of Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

With Phailin moving further inland, there is flood threat in Mayurbhanj and Baripada districts of Odisha and neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Seen here, overturned fishing boats are seen at the Gopalpur beach.

As Phailin passed through Odisha, nearly half of Baripada town was submerged due to a rise in water levels in the river, causing panic among the people.
Seen here, a resident Janardan cleans his house of mud after overnight rains at the fishermen's colony in Gopalpur.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the cyclone is now closer to Chhattisgarh-Odisha border and very heavy rains are expected over north Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim in the next 48 hours. Seen here, a woman carries a broken door from her house in Gopalpur.

Heavy rains and surging seawater, accompanying Phailin, the strongest storm to hit the country in more than a decade, flattened tens of thousands of thatched homes, destroyed more than five lakh hectares of crops and knocked out power lines in Odisha. Seen here, a mangled electrical transmission tower in Berhampur, Odisha.

The worst affected area, around the coastal town of Gopalpur where the eye of Phailin came ashore packing winds of 200 kilometres an hour, was still without power as emergency services rushed to help people living there. Seen here, a man attempts to repair his beachside hut after Cyclone Phailin made landfall at Padampeta village, about 200 kilometers south from Bhubaneswar.

Hundreds of workers from the country's National Disaster Response Force fanned out across the region, clearing away fallen trees from roads, mangled power poles and other debris. Seen here, damaged huts and lashed boats are pictured after Cyclone Phailin made landfall at Padampeta.

Seen here, a truck is seen partially submerged in floodwaters following the cyclone in Gopalpur.

Seen here, people remove fallen trees from a Goddess Kali temple at Gopalpur Junction.

A man looks on amid debris at a damaged pandal, a place of worship, in Gopalpul.

Bhagwan, a coconut-seller, reacts as he sits in front of his destroyed shop.

A woman carried her child as she stands over the remains of her beachside home at Padampeta Village.

A woman tends to her sleeping child resting on the damaged roof of a beachside hut after Cyclone Phailin made landfall at Padampeta Village.

A woman sorts belongings over a beached fishing boat in Padampeta Village.

People ride on top of an auto-rickshaw as they return to Sonepur village in Gopalpur.