Mumbai, India – Cyclone Taukta hit the western coast of India with winds of up to 210 kilometers per hour. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated From their homes. Gujarat authorities closed important ports and airports. In the midst of the health crisis caused by Covid-19, one of the main concerns, at the moment, is ensuring that hospitals are supplied with supplies and oxygen, but vaccination campaigns had to be stopped.
According to the local meteorological agency, the hurricane is expected to lose strength within the next 24 hours. Tauktae is the strongest typhoon to hit the continent in more than two decades.
Officials said the cyclone had already killed at least 16 people and left a chain of devastation as it passed through the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
Health crisis: A village in India caring for Covid-19 patients under a tree with IV bags hanging from branches
The Indian Navy said it rescued 146 people from one of the two boats that were off the coast of Mumbai, adding that reconnaissance planes and helicopters have been deployed to search the seas.
Covid-19
The storm is adding pressure on Indian authorities, which are already grappling with a massive number of Covid-19 infections. The biggest concern at this time is the disruption in the transport of medical oxygen to hospitals, due to the storm.
“Our priority is to clean the roads, so that there is no effect on the transport of oxygen,” said Gurang Makwana, representative of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat.
