Cyclone Fani: Crane falls on top of houses as storm batters Odisha

Footage shows machine falling from 20 storey height

Cyclone Fani has toppled a large crane onto houses in the Indian state of Odisha, as several people sheltered from the brunt of the storm.

Footage of the disaster showed strong winds blowing against the large construction crane, which is believed to have been more than 20 storeys high.

The machine teeters in one direction before falling the other way, crushing a cluster of buildings below.

It is unclear if anyone died when the crane collapsed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s capital city.

Footage shared on social media showed heavy flooding in India caused by the cyclone.

Three people have died during the storm, including one man who was hit by a falling tree, according to The Times of India.

The cyclone made landfall on Friday, in Odisha, an east Indian state.

Fani is thought to be one of the most powerful storms to hit the country in years.

At least 143 trains were cancelled and flights from Bhubaneswar were suspended as the eye of the storm swept inland.

Kolkata airport, in West Bengal, has also been closed and around 1.2m people have been evacuated from Odisha’s low lying areas.

India’s cyclone season can last from April to December, when severe storms batter coastal cities and cause widespread deaths and damage to crops and property in both India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Additional reporting by agencies