Twenty-four people died after a cyclone slammed into Bangladesh on Monday night, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes.
Cyclones – the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific _ are a regular menace in the region but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent.
Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late on Monday, but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster weather system hit.
Around 10 million people were without power in districts along the coast on Tuesday, while schools were shut across much of the country’s south.
Police and government officials said 24 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, with two dying in the north on the Jamuna River when their boat sank in squally weather.
A Myanmar national working on a ship also died by falling off the deck, an official said.—AFP
