Towns evacuate, tourists flee as Cyclone Fani churns towards Odisha

India has evacuated more than 200,000 people along its northeast coastline by boat, bus and train ahead of a severe cyclone due to make landfall on Friday, with many villagers piling household possessions on to trucks before fleeing their homes.

Severe cyclonic storm Fani was lying in the Bay of Bengal about 420 km (260 miles) south-southwest of the Hindu temple town of Puri where special trains were put on to evacuate tourists and the beaches were empty.

In total, about 800,000 people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings, authorities said.

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