Chennai: Super cyclone Amphan will make landfall on May 20 between Digha in West Bengal and Hatia island in Bangladesh, chief of the National Disaster Response Force, S N Pradha has said.

Pradhan said the NDRF was not taking Amphan lightly as it is only the second time that India is facing a super cyclone.

He said this is a very significant incident as this is the second super cyclone after the first hit Odisha in 1999.

The landfall of cyclone Amphan would be on May 20 between Digha in West Bengal and Hatia Island in Bangladesh, he said.

The director general of the NDRF said his force has dedicated a total of 53 teams, including those on standby, for cyclone affected states of Odisha and West Bengal.

“It is a dual challenge as cyclone is striking in the time of COVID-19 outbreak; we are taking all precautions,” he said.

Cyclone ‘Amphan’ intensified into a super cyclonic storm on Monday and is likely to move across northeast Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and the Hatia island on May 20, the IMD said.

‘Amphan'(pronounced UM-PUN) had turned into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and gathered more strength over Bay of Bengal while moving slowly towards the coast. It has now intensified further into a super cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.