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In Pictures: Cyclone Phailin

The most powerful storm to hit India in the last 14 years has caused havoc, displacing 500,000 people.

A motorcyclist rides past fallen traffic signal poles during Cyclone Phailin at a road crossing in Berhampur, India.
Published On 13 Oct 2013

A powerful cyclone – on the verge of being a “super-cyclone” according to the Indian Meterological Department – made landfall off the Indian coast Sunday morning. The storm forced up to 500,000 people to evacuate, caused widespread destruction to crops and infrastructure, and downed electricty lines in several coastal towns. The official death toll remains unknown at this point, but Indian media has reported several deaths. 

The storm, packing winds around 200km per hour barrelled in from the Bay of Bengal and made landfall in towns of Gopalpur.Officials say it is the most powerful storm to strike India in 14 years. 

The storm(***)s diameter measured above 400km, with wind gusts of up to 220km per hour and a storm surge of 3 metres.
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People walk through heavy rain in the district of Ganjam in Orissa state on Saturday, October 12.
Evacuated Indian villagers get down from a truck at a relief camp as it rains near Berhampur, India.
People take shelter at a wedding hall after leaving their houses in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
People watch high tide waves as they stand at the Bay of Bengal coast in Vishakhapatnam.
People watch waves from the Bay of Bengal approach the shore in Visakhapatnam district in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
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Indian government officials stand near a stack of relief good to be distributed to evacuated people following a cyclone warning in Bhubaneswar, India.