Cyclone Asani: Two tourists drown in West Bengal; fishermen warned not to venture into sea

New Delhi: Two tourists, including a woman, drowned in the sea in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district on Sunday (May 8, 2022), the PTI news agency reported. 

The incident took place at Mandarmani and both the tourists were the residents of the Park Circus area of Kolkata.

An officer of the village's coastal police station told PTI that their bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem.

"They had apparently strayed beyond the sea beach and waded into the water and were swept into the sea in choppy waters. Hearing their screams the disaster management personnel who were present at the place as part of precautionary measures with Cyclone Asani approaching jumped into waters to rescue them. However, both had died when they were brought to the shore," the PTI quoted an official as saying.

"The district administration is repeatedly asking tourists to stay away from the sea in Mandarmani, Digha, Shankarpur and Talsari all tourist spots in Purba Medinipur district from Sunday afternoon but many of them are ignoring the pleas" an official of Digha Development Authority said. 

Cyclone Asani raging in Bay of Bengal, likely to weaken without landfall

The severe cyclonic storm Asani in the Bay of Bengal, packing gale-force winds up to 120 km per hour, was moving towards coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha at a speed of 25 km per hour on Monday, but expected to weaken gradually over the next two days, the PTI news agency reported citing weather office.

The cyclonic storm lay centred about 550 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam and 680 km south-southeast of Puri at 5:30 am on Monday, a special bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said at 8:45 am.

SCS Asani moved WNW with a speed of 25 kmph during past 06 hours and lay over WC and adjoining South BoB at 0530 hours IST. To move NWwards till 10th May and reach WC & adjoining NW BoB off North AP & Odisha coasts. To weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm in next 48 hrs. pic.twitter.com/fTlSP9LR4T — India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 9, 2022

"It is very likely to move northwestwards till Tuesday and reach Westcentral and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh & Odisha coasts," PTI quoted the weather office as saying.

"Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards Northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast. It is likely to weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm during the next 48 hours," the PTI said.

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The system will not make landfall either in Odisha or Andhra Pradesh, IMD Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said on Sunday. He had said the cyclone will move parallel to the east coast and cause rainfall from Tuesday evening.

The weather office said very high sea conditions were likely to prevail over westcentral and adjoining south Bay of Bengal and asked fishermen not to venture out in the region for the next couple of days.

Under the influence of the cyclone, coastal Odisha and adjoining areas of north coastal Andhra Pradesh are expected to receive light to moderate rainfall from Tuesday evening, the weather office said. 

(With agency inputs)