As Gujarat Gears Up for Cyclone Vayu, Here's a Look at the World's Five Deadliest Cyclones

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Gujarat has been put on alert with likely Cyclone Vayu closing in on the Arabian Sea coast bringing heavy rains and winds sweeping across parts of the state at speed ranging from 75 km per hour to a maximum of 135 km.

According to a report in skymetweather.com, there is a depression over the Southeast and East Central Arabian Sea and is centered at 11.2°N and 71°E, around 800 km South-Southwest of Mumbai which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm Vayu.

MeT officials have said that the cyclone is expected to be closest to the Saurashtra Coast by June 12 and between June 12 and June 14, the western-most parts of Saurashtra and Kutch region in Gujarat could witness torrid winds and heavy rainfall.

The cyclone comes months after Odisha was hit by the "extremely severe” Cyclone Fani with a wind speed of up to 200 km per hour

As India braces for Cyclone Vayu, here is a look back at some of the deadliest cyclones that left a trail of death and destruction in different parts of the world.

Hooghly River Cyclone (1737): Often considered to be one of the “deadliest natural disasters” of all times, the Calcutta Cyclone made landfall on October 11, 1737, and left between 300,000 and 350,000 people dead.

Barbados’ Great Hurricane: Formed near Cape Verde Islands around October 9, of 1780, it hit Martinique and St. Lucia, then Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic leaving between 22,000 and 27,000 people dead.

Philippines’ Haiphong Typhoon: The 1881 cyclone wreaked havoc in Haiphong, Vietnam, and along the local coastline leaving 300,000 dead with many more thought to have died due to ensuing disease and starvation in the following months.

The Great Bhola Cyclone in Bangladesh: With a wind speed of over 220 km per hour, the cyclone in November 1970 killed at least 300,000 people. However, some estimates put the death toll at a staggering 500,000. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest natural disasters.

Cyclone Nargis: Considered to be one of the deadliest cyclones to have hit Asia in 2008, Cyclone Nargis was formed in late April of that year and affected India, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Bangladesh and others with its category 4 intensity. Official death tolls rose up to 140,000, but the actual number could be much higher.