People stand near the coast during high tide in Mandvi, in the Kutch district of the western state of Gujarat, India, on Wednesday as cyclone Biparjoy approaches. Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA-EFE
June 14 (UPI) -- India and Pakistan continued evacuations and closed airports on Wednesday as officials there braced for the landing of cyclone Biparjoy on Thursday, one of the strongest storms to hit the region in decades.
The powerful Arabian Sea storm with the highest sustained winds up to 99 mph is expected to land between the port city Keti Bandar in Pakistan and Kutch in Indian Gujarat. The Indian Meteorological Department elevated Biparjoy to a "very severe cyclonic storm, which is expected to bring heavy rain to both countries over the next three days.
Pakistan Meteorological Department Chief Meteorologist Sandar Sarfraz said the storm was moving north-northwest. Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon said 64,107 people have already been evacuated from areas likely to sustain significant flooding and wind damage.
Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said Biparjoy, though, is expected to miss Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, which is home to 20 million people.
"It seems Biparjoy is going northeast and it seems it will take a hard right even further to the east which means it will go past the megacity of Karachi," Rehman said. "Some friends are saying its intensity has decreased. That might be the case but when it comes to landmass, its effects are also maximized."
Indian officials said 34,000 have been evacuated from Kutch while Home Minister Amit Shah called off a planned trip to the area in light of the storm.
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to deliver substantial rainfall to the districts of Jodhpur division and Udaipur divisions on Thursday and Friday.
