Thursday's strong winds and rain also damaged more than 7,500 houses, state officials said.

People living in the state's coastal districts were meanwhile moved to safer areas and fishermen were warned not to venture into the sea as a severe storm was forecast to be on the way, West Bengal Relief Minister Hafiz Alem Sairani said.

Forecasters said a storm with winds of more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) an hour was likely to hit West Bengal in the next 24 hours.

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