• Biparjoy recurves north-eastwards, away from Karachi
• Sherry Rehman says ‘evolving’ storm expected to hit Keti Bandar around 11am
• Minister calls on citizens to refrain from ‘disaster tourism’, insists evacuations in coastal areas ‘not optional’
• ‘Plan B’ ready if more areas affected: NDMA chief
• Military says more than 82pc of vulnerable people shifted to safe locations
KARACHI: The country’s coastal regions were on high alert on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of people being evacuated to stave off the impact of the cyclone, which is expected to make landfall on Thursday (today).
Biparjoy — currently a “very severe cyclonic storm” — is inching closer to India and Pakistan, prompting authorities to take preventive measures to minimise the damage it may cause to life and property.
The Met department’s advisory released on Wednesday night showed that Biparjoy had moved north-eastwards during the past six hours. Late on Wednesday night, the cyclone lay at about 310km south of Karachi, 300km south-southwest of Thatta and 240km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
The cyclone is likely to reduce its strength after hitting the land, but the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has asked fishermen not to venture into the open sea until Saturday. Source: dawnnews.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
