Packing heavy rain and winds with speeds of up to 175 kmph, cyclonic storm 'Fani' slammed into the Odisha coast Friday morning, uprooting trees and sweeping away thatched huts, as large areas of the seaside pilgrim town of Puri were left submerged.

India skipper Virat Kohli along with several other cricketers who are currently playing in the Indian Premier League took to Twitter to show their concern for the people affected by this severe cyclone.

"Praying for everyone affected by Cyclone Fani. Stay safe Odisha," Virat Kohli wrote on Twitter.


Apart from Kohli, Rohit Sharma also prayed for the safety of people. "Stay safe Odisha!," his tweet read.


Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan shared an image that had special precautionary measures for fisherman. "Stay safe, stay strong!," he captioned his tweet.


West Bengal first-class cricketer Wriddhiman Saha too prayed for their well-being and safety of people. "All be safe. Just saw few glimpses of Fani from the News Feed. Terrifying," he tweeted.






According to Odisha CM office, more than 1 million people have been evacuated from the vulnerable districts in last 24 hours. Ganjam and Puri evacuated more than 3 lakh and 1.3 lakh people respectively to safe shelters. About 5000 kitchens started operating to serve people in the shelters.