With a wind speed of up to 200 km per hour, the "extremely severe” Cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall at Odisha coast any time after Friday afternoon. Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be affected, according to a "Yellow Alert" warning issued by the Indian Metrological Department for these states.
In wake of the possible destruction the Cyclone Fani could cause, authorities have already cancelled over 100 trains and are preparing to evacuate lakhs of people.
As India braces for Cyclone Fani, here is a look back at some of the deadliest cyclones that left a trail of death and destruction in different parts of the world.
Hooghly River Cyclone
Described as "one of the deadliest natural disasters of all time," the Hooghly River or Calcutta Cyclone made landfall on October 11, 1737, in the Ganges River Delta, leaving between 300,000 and 350,000 people dead.
The Great Hurricane
The Great Hurricane in Barbados is said to have been formed near the Cape Verde Islands around October 9, of 1780, before hitting Martinique and St. Lucia, then Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The total number of dead: between 22,000 and 27,000.
Haiphong Typhoon
Originated near the Philippines in October 1881, and wreaked havoc in Haiphong, Vietnam, and along the local coastline. Death toll: 300,000 people and many more thought to have died due to ensuing disease and starvation.
The Great Bhola Cyclone
With a wind speed of over 220 km per hour, Great Bhola Cyclone that hit Bangladesh in November 1970 killed at least 300,000 people died. However, some estimates put the death toll at 500,000.
Cyclone Nargis
Described as one of the deadliest cyclones to have hit Asia, Cyclone Nargis in 2008 was formed in late April of that year and affected India, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Bangladesh and others with its category 4 intensity. Conservative estimates put the death toll at 140,000 people but the actual number could be much higher.
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