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Cyclone in Bay of Bengal - 1st June 2020

A big storm has hit the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Amphan crashed into Bangladesh and eastern India on 20th May. There was heavy rain and flooding from the sea.

Millions of people in both countries left their homes before the cyclone. However, coronavirus made this difficult. Many people didn't want to leave their homes because they were worried about catching coronavirus.

In Bangladesh, thousands of homes were destroyed and many more damaged. Some villages were completely covered by water. One badly hit area is the Sunderbans, where 4 million people live. The government doesn't yet know how many people in the area have died.

Tropical cyclones start in the ocean. Warm air rises and then spins around. Cyclone Amphan was the most powerful storm in the Bay of Bengal for more than 10 years. Environmentalists say that the area will experience more storms in future. Storms will become more frequent because of climate change.

The biggest problem from the storm is the flooding. Salt water floods the land and people can't farm. Communities are starting to clean the area now, but it will take a long time to recover.