22 killed as Roanu makes landfall
Cyclone leaves behind trail of destruction in coastal districts
Special Correspondent
At least 22 people were killed and over hundred others injured in landslides, falling of trees and houses in widespread devastation caused by Cyclonic Roanu in different coastal districts of the country yesterday.
Eleven of the deaths were reported from Chittagong, four from Bhola, three from Noakhali, two from Coxs Bazar and one each from Patuakhali and Laxmipur.
Roanu passed over the south-eastern coast of Bangladesh, causing heavy rain over a wide area from Noakhali to Coxs Bazar and disrupting life. In the capital, low-lying areas were inundated.
As the storm moved towards the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, it weakened. Heavy rain triggered flash floods in the Maulvibazar and Sylhet regions, with the onrush of water from the hills, sweeping away homes and crops, reports said.
The meteorological department said the wind speed rose to a peak of 100 km per hour at about 12:40 pm yesterday when the storm first made landfall at Patenga, Chittagong, after roaring off the west-central Bay of Bengal, packing speeds of 62 km per hour and rising to 88kmph.
Before it struck the coastline, the authorities had sounded alarms. Volunteers of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), along with those from the Red Crescent Society, scouts, local Awami League and its allied organisations shifted about five lakh people from 14 coastal districts to 3,500 cyclone shelters, Mofazzal Hossain Choudhury Maya, minister for disaster management and relief, told reporters in the capital.
Explaining the measures to combat the effects of Roanu, a Maldivian word meaning twisted coir ropes, the minister said preparations were made well ahead when the storm was approaching the Bangladesh coast.
He said Tk. 4 lakh relief for each of the 14 districts and 2,000 tonnes of rice have been allocated.
Maya said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina enquired about the preparations by the government on her return from Bulgaria early yesterday.
Between 6am and 12 noon, Khepupara recorded the highest rainfall of 77mm, followed by 48mm in Dhaka city and 39mm over the port city of Chittagong, the Met Office said.
Huge waves and surges driven by the strong wind inundated many coastal areas.
In Dhaka, low-lying areas of the city were waterlogged because of the poor drainage system. From Shantinagar to Mirpur, it was the same story. People out for shopping for the holy Shab-e-Barat, which is on Sunday, found it difficult to negotiate the streets with no transport other than rickshaws.
The rain stopped in the afternoon as the storm crossed Bangladesh.
However, the Met Office said there could be more rain.
In Chittagong, eleven people, including two children, were killed in devastations caused by the cyclonic storm.
At least seven people were killed after storm surges and heavy rains washed away a large portion of the coastal embankment in Banshkhali upazila.
The deputy commissioner of Chittagong, Mezbah Uddin, however, confirmed the deaths of five people.
In Sitakunda upazila, Kajol Begum and her son Belal Hossain died when their house collapsed during heavy rain in a hilly area of Salinpur.
An 11-year-old was killed when he was hit by a stone that fell from an under-construction building in the Sholashahar area due to strong winds. Another child Rakib was killed in the Paslaish area of the city.
In Bhola, four people went missing as two sand-laden cargo vessels sank in the Meghna river in Ilisha of Sadar upazila during heavy rain in the morning, said Khairul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station.
Residents of Tamujuddin upazila said strong winds damaged over 300 shops in the local market.
In Coxs Bazar, two people were killed in the Kutubdia coastal area. AKM Fazlul Haq, 52, died after being injured while getting down from a fishing trawler during the stormy weather, while Md Ikbal, 26, died when his house collapsed.
In Patuakhali, a 50-year-old woman, Naya Bibi, was killed when her house collapsed at her village in Dashmina upazila early yesterday. In Kolapara and Dashmina upazila, 30 villages were flooded when portion of an embankment collapsed.
There is no electricity in Barisal city since Friday afternoon, causing immense suffering to people.
In Noakhali, at least three people were killed in Hatiya upazila in the cyclonic storm. They were Mafuza Begum, 53, of Jasmera union, Minera Begum, 38, and Ruma, 8, of Chandani union of Hatiya upazila.
In Laxmipur, Anwar Ullah, 40, was killed in Sadar upazila.
Meanwhile, the cyclone storm Roanu moved northeastwards further and crossed Barisal-Chittagong coast near Chittagong at about 5pm yesterday and weakened into a land depression by giving precipitation, according to a Met Office bulletin.
It now lies over Feni, Sitakunda and Khagrachhari of Bangladesh and Tripura of India and their adjoining areas, the bulleting said, adding, Its likely to move northeastwards further inland and weaken gradually by giving precipitation.
Under its influence, a steep pressure gradient lies over North Bay. Squally weather may continue over North Bay, coastal areas of Bangladesh and the Maritimes ports.
The maritime ports of Chittagong, Mongla and Paira have been advised to lower danger signal number seven and hoist local cautionary signal number three. The maritime port of Coxs Bazar has been advised to lower danger signal number six and hoist local cautionary signal number three.
