Indian authorities have shut schools, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled trains in parts of the country as rescue teams braced on Thursday for a tropical storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal.

Indian authorities have shut schools, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled trains in parts of the country as rescue teams braced

Over a million people have been evacuated and flights and trains have been suspended as India’s eastern regions and Bangladesh braced for a severe cyclone. Cyclone Dana is expected to hammer the low-lying regions of West Bengal and Odisha,

Mapped: Severe Cyclone Dana churns towards India prompting over a million to evacuate - Airports shut down and over a million people evacuate as Cyclone Dana approaches India and Bangladesh

Odisha and West Bengal are evacuating around 12 lakh people ahead of severe cyclonic storm Dana, which is approaching the coast. Officials have expedited evacuations and set up cyclone centers, aiming for zero casualties amid heavy rainfall and rough.

The storm, that is currently over east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port.

Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port on Oct 25. Catch all the latest news updates on Cyclone Dana here