After killing 9 people in Bangladesh, cyclone Sitrang causes heavy rain in northeast India & West Bengal: Here are the latest updates

On Tuesday (October 25), a government official informed that 9 people have died as a result of a cyclone that slammed Bangladesh and triggered the evacuation of almost a million people from their homes.

The cyclone, known as 'Sitrang', created a disaster in Bangladesh on Monday (October 24). However, now it has further weakened into a depression over northeast Bangladesh, northeast of Agartala and south-southwest of Shillong in India.

What's happening in India? 

• After passing through Bangladesh's coast near Barisal, cyclone Sitrang quickly degraded into a depression but northeastern states of India like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura experienced widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on Tuesday. 
• A red alert was also issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Also, apart from Assam, West Bengal's coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and East Midnapore, the cyclone caused moderate to heavy rain between 9.30 pm and 11.30 pm on Monday, dampening Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations for many Indians.

Trouble in India due to Sitrang:

• Assam's Nagaon district was badly affected by cyclone Sitrang, which caused heavy rainfall and a storm. The storm on Monday night caused several trees and utility poles to be uprooted.
• The storm caused damage to a number of homes in the central Assam district's Kaliabor, Bamuni, Sakmuthia tea estate, and Boraligaon neighbourhoods.
• Air travel was also hampered due to poor visibility and more than ten flights got cancelled.