Cyclone, floods impacted nearly 12 mn in Odisha

Bhubaneshwar, Oct 16: Nearly 12 million people were affected by the cyclone and floods in Odisha, authorities said Wednesday.

According to preliminary government estimates, cyclone Phailin and floods have affected 11,980,587 people in the state and damaged standing paddy crops in 621,184 hectares.

While 983,553 people were evacuated due to cyclone, 112,241 people were moved to safety due to subsequent floods.

Heavy rain brought by the cyclone that hit the state coast Saturday night triggered floods.

Odisha has a population of about 41.95 million. It has 30 districts of which 17 were affected by the cyclone and the subsequent floods.

IANS