The Great Bengal Cyclone, one of the worst natural disasters, struck on this day. It hit the coast near Calcutta on the morning of October 11, killing numerous lives and causing extensive damage to life and property.
The storm possibly formed near the coast of Burma, moved northwest and then northward and made landfall over the Hooghly delta, a little south of Calcutta. Most of the deaths occurred in the sea from the storm surge that was estimated to be about 30-40ft.
More than 20,000 ships, boats and other marine vessels were said to be destroyed.
About 3,000 residents of Calcutta were estimated to be killed along with an unknown number of livestock. All thatched buildings were destroyed. St Anne’s Church suffered great damage. Within the East India Company’s bounds, only 20 thatched houses were standing the next day, an account of a survivor says.
The event in some places was recorded as an earthquake. It is felt an earthquake-induced tsunami accompanied the cyclone. The day is calculated as September 30 in some accounts. But according to the Gregorian calendar the date is October 11.