Cyclone Yaas: Two deaths reported in Bangladesh
At least two deaths were reported Wednesday as Cyclone Yaas triggered storms and floods in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, reports UNB.
Reports sent in by UNB correspondents indicate that dozens of houses have been damaged and low-lying areas inundated, cutting off road communication in some areas.
In Bhola, a man was killed after being hit by a falling tree branch during a storm triggered by Yaas in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Abu Taher, 48, a local farmer. Bhola deputy commissioner Md Tawfiq-E-Lahi Chowdhury said Tk 20,000 has been provided to Taher’s family as assistance.
Bhola has been seeing drizzle and strong wind since Wednesday morning. Cyclone Yaas has made landfall in India’s Odisha.
Child drowns in Bagerhat
Meanwhile, four-year-old Jinia died this afternoon after drowning near her house in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat.
Morrelganj upazila nirbahi officer Md Delwar Hossain said that the roads and drains of the upazila have been inundated due to an unusual increase in the water level of Panguchi River.
Jinia fell into the overflowing drain and drowned, he said.
Low-lying areas inundated in Khulna
Low-lying areas in Koyra, Dacope and Paikgachha upazilas of Khulna were inundated by tidal surge triggered by Cyclone Yaas.
The residents of the upazilas have been experiencing light rains or drizzles since Wednesday noon and the local administration has opened over 1,000 cyclone shelters.
The local met office, meanwhile, recorded 21mm rainfall in the past two days.
Lighter vessels sink in rough sea
Twelve crew members were rescued after a lighter ship capsized in the Bay of Bengal today in the rough sea near Bhasanchar due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas.
Squadron Leader Saiful Alom of Bangladesh Air Force, in charge of the rescue operations, confirmed UNB about the development.
“Two rescue helicopters reached the spot within a very short time from Patenga Air Force Base and rescued 12 crew members who were floating in the middle of the sea,” he said.
In Chattogram, the coastal areas of Patenga have been submerged in tidal waters due to the impact of the cyclone. Water is entering the locality through the embankment damaged by the strong waves, according to our correspondent.
50 houses destroyed in Jhenaidah
Three persons were injured while some 50 houses were damaged in a storm at Armukhi village in Sadar upazila of Jhenaidah on Tuesday night.
Kabir Hossain, chairman of Naldanga Union, said a two-kilometre stretch of the village from Kutipara to West Para was flattened during the storm lasting for about 15-20 seconds.
The low-lying areas of Burigoalini union in Satkhira's Shyamnagar upazila have been inundated following heavy showers and the onrush of river water.
Some 15 areas, including Gabura, Koikhali, Munshiganj and Padmapukur in the Burigoalini area of the upazila, were flooded Tuesday night after the river water level rose by three-to-four foot.
However, hardly anyone has taken shelter at the cyclone shelters till Wednesday morning despite repeated appeals by the local administration.