At least 23 people died and millions lost power after Cyclone Remal, the first tropical storm of the season, hit Bangladesh and its eastern neighbor India on Sunday.
Remal, which had winds of more than 70 mph, left a trail of destruction, uprooting trees and damaging power lines across the area, officials said.
The storm killed 13 people in Bangladesh and damaged or destroyed more than 35,000 homes across coastal areas, affecting about 3.5 million people, according to officials. According to Electricity Ministry officials, more than 13 million people there were without power on Monday night. This South Asian country has a population of 170 million people.
The storm also caused power outages and damage to homes in the Indian state of West Bengal. On Tuesday, officials said at least 10 people were killed and several others missing after heavy rain from the storm’s remnants caused a quarry to collapse in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram, which borders India. Bangladesh border.
The storm comes after weeks of intense heat in the region, with temperatures reaching around 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Celsius. Remal made landfall near the southern Bangladesh port of Mongla and India’s neighboring Sagar Islands on around 9pm on Sunday.
About a million people were evacuated from Bangladesh’s coastal villages before the storm made landfall. Officials said most of those villages were flooded, leaving millions of people vulnerable.
Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement: “As Cyclone Remal hits the coastal areas of Bangladesh, more than 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, are in need. high risks in terms of health, nutrition, hygiene and safety”.
Bangladesh’s inland capital, Dhaka was hit by heavy rain and strong winds. The storm disrupted flights at Shah Amanat International Airport in southeast Bangladesh and at Kolkata Airport in India.
By Tuesday, the storm had weakened but meteorologists in Bangladesh and India warned that heavy rain and strong winds could continue for several days.
Bangladesh has been hit by many severe storms in recent years. Last May, a powerful storm Mocha hit Bangladesh and Myanmar, killing many people. The storm caused widespread damage in the vast Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, destroying more than 3,000 huts and learning centers made of bamboo slats and plastic tarpaulins.
The Philippines also saw its first tropical storm of the season. Cyclone Ewiniar made landfall on the island nation early Saturday morning. The Office of Civil Defense reported on Monday that there were seven casualties from the storm. The storm had wind gusts of more than 40 miles per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Suhasini Raj contributed reporting.
