On Thursday, wind speeds and rainfall intensified along India’s Gujarat coast as cyclone Biparjoy drew closer, prompting authorities in both India and Pakistan to evacuate over 150,000 individuals in its path.
The cyclone, named Biparjoy, meaning ‘disaster’ or ‘calamity’ in Bengali, was located in the Arabian Sea, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) off Jakhau port in the Indian state of Gujarat and 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Pakistan’s southern port of Karachi, according to weather officials.
As the weather conditions deteriorated in Gujarat, India’s meteorological department confirmed that the cyclone was on course to make landfall.
Authorities in Pakistan have successfully completed the evacuation process in high-risk coastal areas, relocating approximately 82,000 people in anticipation of the approaching cyclone Biparjoy.
To accommodate the displaced individuals, makeshift relief quarters have been established in school auditoriums and other government buildings in both India and Pakistan.
