Naliya: As Cyclone Biparjoy barrels towards the Kutch coast in Gujarat, the government said they have so far evacuated nearly 37,800 people living near the sea in eight districts of the state.

The powerful cyclone will make landfall near Jakhau port on the evening of June 15, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

“VSCS (very severe cyclonic storm) BIPARJOY over Arabian sea moved north northwestward and lay centred at 2.30 IST of 14th June, about 280 km WSW of Jakhau port. To cross near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by evening of 15th June as VSCS,” The IMD said in the latest post.

The Gujarat government said in a release that they have so far evacuated 37,794 people living along the coastline.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the state government's emergency operations centre on Tuesday night for a review of the preparedness, it said.

The cyclone has “extensive damaging potential” and is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts the most, IMD has said.

The state government is aiming to evacuate people residing within 10 km from the shore, said an official. So far, one fatality related to the cyclone has been recorded, he said.

Evacuation operations will continue on Wednesday, officials said.

The cyclone is likely to hit the shore near Jakhau port between Mandvi in Kutch and Karachi in Pakistan with sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph on Thursday evening (June 15).