The authorities of India’s eastern Odisha state evacuated over one million people as Cyclone Fani made landfall close to the city of Puri in the early hours of Friday, the NDTV broadcaster reported.

The broadcaster reported, citing the India Meteorological Department, that the landfall started at 08:00 a.m. (02:30 GMT) and was expected to continue for two hours.

The outlet added that wind speeds in the area reached 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour

​According to the reports, the evacuations are underway in 11 coastal areas of Odisha due to Fani, which NDTV called the most severe storm since the strongest recorded tropical cyclone to hit the area back in 1999. (Sputnik News)