2 killed as cyclone Remal ravages parts of India's West Bengal

NEW DELHI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and three others injured in India's eastern state of West Bengal in the aftermath of cyclone Remal, officials said Monday.

The cyclonic storm left a trail of widespread damage and destruction to infrastructure and property across the state after making landfall between the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh on Sunday night.

According to officials, a 51-year-old man was killed when a wall collapsed on him due to the incessant downpour on Sunday evening at the Bibir Bagan area of Entally area of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.

Likewise, an elderly woman was killed after a tree collapsed on her hut in Mousuni Island near Namkhana adjacent to the Sunderbans delta on Monday morning.

Three persons were injured in the Manicktala area of the city due to the uprooting of trees after the cyclone struck.

Officials said the cyclone blew away the roofs of thatched huts and uprooted trees and electricity poles thus blocking roads in Kolkata and the coastal districts and resulting in power disruption in various parts of the state.

Flight services at the Kolkata airport that were suspended for 21 hours due to the cyclone resumed on Monday morning. Officials said it would take more time for the situation to become normal.

The local government has evacuated over 100,000 people from vulnerable areas ahead of the cyclone's landfall. Officials said they have begun relief operations by providing food, drinking water and medical assistance to the people affected.