At least 24 dead in Bangladesh from tropical storm

October 26, 2022
2 MIN READ
A
A+
A-

 A tropical storm that lashed Bangladesh left at least 24 people dead and about 8 million without power across the delta nation, officials and news reports said Tuesday.

The government said about 10,000 homes were damaged and more than 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of crops were destroyed. Thousands of fishing projects were also washed away.

The United News of Bangladesh news agency said about 20,000 people were marooned because of flooding triggered by tidal surges in the southern coastal district of Bhola.

Tropical Storm Sitrang brewed in the Bay of Bengal before turning north toward Bangladesh’s vast coast, prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people to cyclone shelters Monday. Heavy rains battered the country throughout the day, flooding many areas in the coastal regions across southern and southwestern Bangladesh.

The storm weakened Tuesday afternoon, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour and wind gusts up to 85 kph (53 mph). The weather office in the capital, Dhaka, which had recorded gusts up to 88 kph (55 mph) Monday evening, said the danger had passed.

No flooding or major damage was reported in camps housing about 30,000 ethnic Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char island and another 1 million in Cox’s Bazar district, said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.