Indian Air Force airlifts 102 passengers ahead of Cyclone Yaas

With Cyclone Yaas expected to make landfall soon in parts of Odisha and West Bengal, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday airlifted 102 passengers and 4.5 tonnes of cargo from Arakonnam to Kalaikunda to assist the NDRF.

The operation was carried out with a C-130 and two An-32 aircraft. Another C-130 airlifted 62 passengers and 6.8 tonnes of cargo from Lilabari to Kolkata.

In addition, two IAF An-32 aircraft have been deployed for airlifting 41 passengers and 4 tonnes of cargo from Lilabari to Panagarh.

Cyclone Yaas' landfall process started around 9 am on Wednesday morning between Dhamra and Balasore in Odisha and is expected to continue for about three to four hours.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it is likely to make landfall around noon. Odisha Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena on Wednesday said that by around 1 pm, the tail end of the cyclone is expected to be completely moving to landmass.

People in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand woke up to strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday morning and braced for the cyclone.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday held a meeting with Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) through a virtual platform linking the state control room and cyclone dashboard. He also sought the cooperation of people in evacuation and directed the administration to monitor the situation regularly.

( With inputs from ANI )