No lives lost after Cyclone Biparjoy landfall in Gujarat: NDRF DG

The Director General (DG) National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said at least 23 people were injured due to the cyclonic effect.

No lives were lost after Cyclone Biparjoy made a landfall in Gujarat, however, 23 people were injured, NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal, said on Friday.

Two people died before the landfall of the cyclone. But not a single human life was lost post the landfall in Gujarat, Karwal told reporters here.

The loss of life and property is minimum due to coordinated efforts undertaken by the Gujarat administration and other agencies, he added.

A total of 18 NDRF teams, equipped with pole and tree cutters and inflatable boats, are deployed in Gujarat apart from one team in the neighbouring Union Territory of Diu to undertake rescue and relief operations.

Five NDRF teams are deployed in Maharashtra (Mumbai) and four in Karnataka to respond to any situation that develops in the aftermath of the cyclone, Karwal said.

Also Read | Cyclone Biparjoy: 10 things to know

He also said about 1,000 villages were facing electricity disruption in the state and about 40% of these villages facing power cuts are in Kutch district.

About 500 'kutcha' houses or huts have been damaged, 'puckka' or permanent houses that suffered damage are in single digits while about 800 trees have been uprooted or hit.

Except Rajkot, no place in Gujarat is experiencing heavy rains and the winds are barrelling at a speed of about 90-100 km per hour in Kutch. In the rest of the regions of the state, this speed is about 40-70 km per hour, he said.

The cyclone is losing its power as it travels in the land and is now moving towards southern Rajasthan, he said.

The DG said an NDRF team was positioned in Jalore (Rajasthan) on Thursday evening after consultation with the state government as heavy rains there may lead to a situation of flooding and people getting trapped.