Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated along India's eastern coast as authorities brace for a cyclone moving through the Bay of Bengal that was forecast to bring extremely severe wind and rain.
The India Meteorological Department in New Delhi said Cyclone Fani was expected to make landfall on Friday with gale-force winds of up to 200km/h likely starting on Thursday night.
It warned of "extremely heavy falls" over parts of the state of Odisha and its southern neighbour Andhra Pradesh.
Cyclone Fani approaches the east coast of India. Source: NASA
Major airports were closed in India's eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal and the railway network virtually closed down ahead of the arrival of Extremely Severe Cyclone Fani - expected to be the biggest storm to hit the region in more than two decades - on Friday morning.
More than one million people in the two states have been ordered to leave their homes and the Bangladesh government separately issued evacuation orders for 19 coastal districts and put the army on standby.
India's National Disaster Management Authority forecast "high to phenomenal" sea conditions for most of the Indian states along the Bay of Bengal. Fishermen were advised not to venture into deep waters.
A 1.5-metre storm surge was expected to inundate low-lying areas.
Fearing that Fani could be the worst storm since 1999 - when a cyclone killed around 10,000 people and devastated large parts of Odisha - Indian officials put the navy, air force, army and coast guard on high alert, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with cabinet ministers and weather and disaster-response officials for a briefing on the measures being taken.
The Meteorological Department projected "total destruction" of thatched-roof huts, flooding of farmland and orchards, and the uprooting of telephone poles.
India's special relief commissioner told PTI that preparations for Fani include the country's largest evacuation operation, of more than 800,000 people.
Indian fishermen pull a boat to higher ground as Cyclone Fani approached. Source: AAP
Tourists were asked to leave the popular beach town of Puri in Odisha by Thursday night.
More than 800 shelters were opened and around 100,000 dry food packets were ready to be airdropped.
Fani was also forecast to hit Bangladesh, tracking north through ports including Cox's Bazar, the coastal district where more than a million Rohingya refugees live in refugee camps.
