NEW DELHI, May 5 (Xinhua): Death toll of Cyclone Fani has risen to 33 in Indian eastern state of Odisha, local media reported Sunday.
The extremely severe cyclone wreaked havoc in the coastal part of the state, causing widespread destruction and leaving hundreds grappling with water shortage and power cuts due to uprooting of trees and electricity poles.
"The death toll in the Cyclone Fani has risen to 33," local television channel India Today said on Sunday.
According to local government officials, the worst affected is Puri town, 68 km south of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.
Local media reports quoting state Chief Secretary A P Padhi said 21 deaths were registered in the pilgrim town of Puri alone.
The cyclone made the landfall in the town on Friday, uprooting scores of trees, electric poles, damaging mobile towers and flattening fragile houses.
The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a relief package for those affected by the cyclone.
"Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said all families in Puri and in those parts of Khurda, which had been severely affected in the storm, will get 50 kg of rice, 28 U.S. dollars in cash and polythene sheets, if covered under the Food Security Act (FSA)," a local government official said.
Patnaik said government machinery has been pressed into service to restore electricity and water supply in the affected areas.
Houses completely damaged in Cyclone Fani will be constructed under housing schemes and loss of agricultural, horticultural crops, animal resources and fisheries will be assessed and compensated accordingly, the chief minister said.
The state-run broadcaster All India Radio quoting government officials as saying that around one million trees were uprooted in Bhubaneswar alone. Six village forests in Bhubaneswar area have been completely devastated under the impact of Fani.
Flight operations at Bhubaneswar airport resumed on Saturday. Meanwhile, train services remained affected in the region.
The storm is one of the strongest storms recorded in India.
