The coastal areas of Bangladesh experienced drizzles, strong winds and tidal surges from Wednesday morning, but there was no news of any major devastation after Cyclone Yaas made landfall in India’s Odisha.
The high tides caused some damage in coastal districts, and one death was reported in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola district when a man was killed by a branch of a tree that fell in the storm.
Furthermore, a four-year-old child drowned in the tidal water in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat.
At least 5,000 families in Sarankhola, Morrelganj and Mongla upazilas of Bagerhat have been stranded as the water level in the rivers adjacent to these places has gone up due to the cyclone.
Three people were injured and around 50 houses damaged in a storm at Armukhi village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila on Tuesday night, before Cyclone Yaas made landfall.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) said it had rescued 12 people after a trawler capsized in the rough sea near Bhashar Char in Noakhali. Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the development, adding that an AW-139 search and rescue helicopter of BAF was used to airlift the victims from the Bay of Bengal.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief said a total of 27 upazilas under nine coastal districts – Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Noakhali and Laxmipur – had been affected by tidal surges due to the cyclone.
At a press briefing, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Mohammad Enamur Rahman said the ministry had received information from 14 coastal districts after the cyclone.
In Satkhira, tidal water was 3-6 feet high and had overwhelmed embankments at certain points. Only 280 people went to the cyclone shelter and returned to their homes in the morning.
