In 1839, a cyclone caused a 40 foot tidal wave which was able to wipe out the harbor city of Coringa. This city was never entirely rebuilt. A total of 20,000 vessels in the bay were destroyed and about 300,000 people died.

This was not the first major catastrophe to occur in Coringa as in 1789 three tidal waves caused by a cyclone destroyed the harbour city at the mouth of the Ganges river. At that time most ships were sunk and more than 20,000 people drowned.