Date:17/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/17/stories/2007111758481400.htm

National

Cyclone kills one in West Bengal

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The cyclone that hit Bangladesh on Thursday evening caused devastation in certain coastal areas of West Bengal too. One person was killed in North 24 Parganas district.

The alert sounded in the coastal districts was withdrawn on Friday, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said.

Nearly 15,000 people were affected by the storm in the State.

A man was killed when a branch of a tree fell on him in the Swarupnagar Block I area of North 24 Parganas district, he said.

Earlier, the situation in the coastal districts was reviewed at a high-level meeting of Ministers and officials at the Secretariat.

There were reports of houses being damaged and standing crops across 7,500 hectares destroyed in the coastal areas. Embankments in some areas too were damaged, it was officially stated.