BANGLADESH: At least 16 people died after a cyclone slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday.
Around 10 million people were without power in 15 coastal districts, while schools were shut across southern and southwestern regions.
Cyclones — the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific — are a regular menace but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent.
Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late Monday but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster weather system hit.
Jebun Nahar, a government official, said 14 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, and two died after a boat sank in squally weather in the Jamuna river in the north. Trees were uprooted as far away as the capital Dhaka, hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the epicentre of the storm.
Heavy rains affected much of the country, flooding cities such as Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal — which witnessed 324 mm (13 inches) of rainfall on Monday. – NDTV
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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