The giant cyclone Biparjoy

A coast guard stands and inspects the coast in Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool / AP  

 

The giant cyclone Biparjoy  

Several dead as giant cyclone Biparjoy moves forward  

 

Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to hit coastal cities in Pakistan and India, has claimed its first victims - even before it made landfall.  

 

Four boys drowned after they went out to sea in the storm, two are still missing, say the police in Mumbai, reports Reuters.  

 

Three more people were killed when a wall collapsed as heavy rain and wind uprooted trees in western India's Kutch and Rajkot districts, authorities said.  

 

Biparjoy, which means disaster in Bengali, is expected to be the most powerful India and Pakistan have seen since 2021, with winds of 180 km per hour.  

 

According to India's weather agency, Biparjoy is expected to reach the mainland on Thursday and tens of thousands of Indians and Pakistanis are expected to be evacuated from the area.  

 

 

Waves crash against the coast of Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool / AP  

 

Tens of thousands are being evacuated before the giant cyclone Biparjoy  

 

The Pakistani army plans to evacuate 80,000 people ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy. In addition, thousands are being evacuated in bordering areas of India, according to AP.  

 

The cyclone is expected to be the most powerful since 2021. Biparjoy is expected to have winds of 180 km per hour and is expected to arrive on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department.  

 

Last year, Pakistan was hit by devastating floods that claimed the lives of 1,739 people.