Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Cyclone Dana updates: The Odisha coast is bracing for Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall near the coastal state by October 25. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port on Friday. 

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The met department also said that the landfall process will start from the night of October 24 and will continue till the next day. The maximum speed during the landfall is expected to be around 120 kmph, IMD Mrutunjay Mohapatra said. Landfall is a gradual process which usually takes around 5-6 hours, he said further. 

Meanwhile, more than 1.14 lakh people in West Bengal have already been moved to shelters as a precautionary measure.

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Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who reviewed the state government's preparedness, said only 30 per cent of the people, or around 3-4 lakh people living in the identified ‘danger zone’, have been evacuated by Wednesday evening.

"The remaining people will be brought to safety by 11 am on Thursday," he said.

While asserting that the state is fully prepared to face the calamity, Majhi assured the people that they are in "safe hands".

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"Do not panic and stay safe. You (people) are in safe hands," he said, adding that all arrangements have been made for the people at the cyclone shelters.

Cyclone Dana: Over 200 trains cancelled, several flights suspended

The Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled many trains on October 24 and 25, given the cyclone.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw convened a meeting on Wednesday with senior officials from the Railway Board, as well as the East Coast and South Eastern zones, to assess their readiness to mitigate the effects of cyclone Dana on railway services.

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More than 170 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have also been cancelled in view of the severe cyclonic storm, news agency PTI reported.

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Flight operations at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata will be suspended for 15 hours starting at 6:00 pm on Thursday as a precautionary measure ahead of Cyclone Dana. According to airport authorities, flight operations will be halted from 6:00 pm on October 25 until 9:00 am on October 26.

Cyclone Dana lay 420 km southeast of Paradip, 450 km south-southeast of Dhamara and 500 km south-southeast of Sagar Island at 8:30 am as of Wednesday, the IMD said.

(With inputs from agencies)