Photo: Messenger
Heavy rains and strong wind brought by Cyclone Remal have lashed the costal districts in the country, leaving at least eight people dead, flooding villages and uprooting trees.
According to reports, eight people died in Patuakhali, Barishal, Bhola and Satkhira districts on Sunday (26 May) night and Monday.
Among the deceased, three died in Bhola, two each in Barishal and Patuakhali districts and one in Satkhira district.
In Bhola, three people including a woman and a child died during heavy rains influenced by the cyclone.
According to the control room of local administration, Maneja Khatun, 50 died when a house collapsed on her at Char Umed union of Lalmohan upazila of the district on Monday morning.
Raisha, 3, of Daulatkhan municipality and Jahangir, 50 of Chachra Union on Borhanuddin upazila were also killed during the storm.
Deputy Commissioner of Bhola Arifuzzaman, said local administration is working to estimate the damages caused by the storm.
Power supply to the district remained suspended since Sunday, disrupting mobile networks and internet service.
A number of trees and electric poles were uprooted while many thatched houses were damaged during the storm.
Besides, Dhal char, char Kukrimukri and Monpura in Charfashion upazila went under 4/5 feet water, leaving over 25000 people marooned.
In Barishal, two people died and another was injured when a portion of the roof of a multi-storied building collapsed on a tin shed hotel in Barishal's Rupatali area amid heavy rain caused by Cyclone Remal early Monday.
The victims were identified as hotel owner Lokman Hossain and his employee Mokchedur Rahman.
In Satkhira, another man died while going to a shelter during storm in Shyamnagar upazila on Sunday evening.
The victim was identified as Shawkot Hossain Morol, 65. He was a resident of Napitkhali village under Gabura union of the upazila.
In Patuakhali, Sharif, 24, a fisherman of Anantapara area of Kalapara upazila, was found dead, an hour after he was swept away by tidal surge caused by Cyclone Remal on Sunday afternoon in Kalapara upazila.
Besides, Karim Ali Khan, 65, of Baufal upazila was killed when a house collapsed on him around 6 am on Monday.
Sunit Kumar Gain, officer-in-charge of Baufal Police Station confirmed the death.
The violent storm disrupted power supply to southern districts, leaving over 2 crore people without power since Sunday night.
Power supply to 2.22 crore consumers of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), out of its total 3.58 crore, has been suspended following the landfall of cyclone Remal on Sunday, according to a BREB official.
He said mainly the power transmission was halted to those cyclone-hit areas as part of a cautionary measure to avoid any accident.
According to primary report received from Bagerhat, the cyclone's fury has damaged homes, uprooted trees, broken electric poles and severed power lines, leaving nearly 500,000 residents without electricity since Sunday night.
On Sunday night, embankments in several areas were breached, inundating villages with tidal waters.
Deputy Commissioner Md. Khalid Hossain confirmed the preliminary data, indicating that 10,000 families have been stranded and 45,000 homes have been destroyed.
In Khulna over 100 shrimp enclosures in Khulna's Koyra, Dacope and Paikgacha upazilas were washed away by tidal surges.
Besides, at least 30 villages were inundated after the collapse of dams in 9 places in these upazilas.
Bangladesh has evacuated more than 800,000 people from the coastal regions.
Meanwhile, severe Cyclonic Storm Remal, which made landfall on Bangladesh’s coast on Sunday night, moved northwards and weakened into a cyclonic storm and further weakened into a land deep depression over Jashore and adjoining area, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
It is likely to move northeastwards further and weaken into a land depression by giving precipitation, the BMD stated in its special bulletin.
Maritime ports of Payra and Mongla have been advised to lower danger signal number 10 but instead hoist local cautionary signal number three (R) three.
Maritime ports of Cox's bazar and Chattogram have been advised to lower danger signal number nine but instead hoist local cautionary signal number three (r) three.
Messenger/Mumu
