At least 24 people have died as Tropical Storm Sitrang battered Bangladesh, leaving around eight million without power.
About 10,000 houses were damaged and more than 6,000 hectares of crops were destroyed. Bangladesh said the government. Thousands of fishing projects were also washed away.
About 20,000 people were trapped by flooding caused by tidal waves in the southern coastal district of Bhola, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The storm first developed in the Bay of Bengal – the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean – before heading north towards the vast coast of Bangladesh.
Authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people to cyclone shelters on Monday as heavy rain lashed the country throughout the day, flooding many areas in coastal areas in southern and southwestern Bangladesh.
Divers recovered eight bodies after a dredger capsized in the Bay of Bengal on Monday evening, said Minhazur Rahman, a government official in Mirshorai in Chattogram.
The couple and their four-year-old daughter died after a tree fell on their house while they were sleeping, said Raihan Mehbub, a government official in Qumila district.
At least 13 others were killed in separate incidents across the country, Dhaka-based Somoy TV reported.
Most died as a result of falling trees, while others died from collapsing buildings or drowning, local media reported.
About eight million out of a total of 48 million electricity consumers were left without power after falling trees, damaged power lines or power poles, mostly in rural areas, said Nasrul Hameed, junior minister for energy and mineral resources.
The government has suspended all riverboat operations in the country, closed three airports and asked fishing boats to return from the deep sea and remain anchored in the Bay of Bengal.
A man on the back of a mini-truck evacuated valuables on the Bay of Bengal coast on Monday. Photo: AP
Fishermen on the coast of the Bay of Bengal guard their boats. Photo: AP
The storm weakened Tuesday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts of up to 53 mph. The weather service in Dhaka said the danger had passed.
However, power distribution across the country will not be normalized until at least Wednesday, Mr. Hameed said.
The low-lying nation is prone to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones.
https://news.sky.com/story/tropical-storm-leaves-at-least-24-dead-in-bangladesh-12729752
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