Thousands flee homes as giant cyclone heads towards India
Thousands of people in India have been forced to flee their homes as a massive cyclone filling most of the Bay of Bengal heads towards the country.
Cyclone Phailin has been categorised as "very severe" by weather forecasters, the BBC reports.
It is expected to hit Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states on Saturday evening.
According to CNN, authorities are shuttling people out of the cyclone's path after a similar cyclone killed thousands of people over a decade ago.
"We have taken a zero-casualty approach," said Odisha state disaster manager Kamal Lochan Mishra.
"If people do not move, force will be used to evacuate them."
Reuters reports that Cyclone Phailin was about 124 miles offshore by midday Saturday (local time).
Officials say it is on the verge of becoming a "super cyclone" and is expected to affect 12 million people.
Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, who said more than 440,000 people have already been evacuated, told Reuters: "This is one of the largest evacuations undertaken in India."
India is not the only country currently experiencing weird weather. In Venice, the Acqua Alta floods have come early. See photos of the flooding in the Italian city below:
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