Bhubaneswar: The date of Cyclone Montha landfall almost coinciding with the catastrophic 1999 Super Cyclone, which had struck Odisha coast on October 29 with wind speeds of up to 250 kmph, had led people to apprehend the worst.

Eight districts in the state were put under red alert and 19,000 people evacuated to ensure their safety amid waring of extremely heavy rain and strong winds. ADVERTISEMENT

However, the system went southward and crossed the coast around Narasapur area, about 100 km south of Kakinada, the initially predicted landfall point which was around 200 km from Malkangiri.

Amid the cyclone’s chaos, one incident stood out as a whimsical highlight: the massive ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 balloon, which vanished from Visakhapatnam, was discovered in Malkangiri. The eno

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