ZCZC
BSS-07
FANI-CASUALITIES
Fani wrath claims five lives in Bangladesh
DHAKA, May 4, 2019 (BSS) – Cyclone Fani, dubbed to the deadliest one in
decades, today kept the mark of its wrath reportedly claiming five lives and
leveling scores of houses in southern coastlines as it made its way to
Bangladesh after raving India’s Odisha coast and adjoining areas.
Officials and reports reported deaths of five people, one being a minor boy
as it swept through the coastlines of Barguna, Bhola and Noakhali, where it
also damaged several hundred houses though it barreled to Bangladesh overland
crossing India’s West Bengal state.
The severe cyclonic storm, which entered Bangladesh through the
southwestern region earlier this morning, also wounded several people despite
its weakened strength.
Disaster management officials said overnight some 12 lakh people were
evacuated to cyclone centres that helped keep casualties minimal.
The inland water transport authorities kept enforced its order suspending
movement of launches and ferries while the state-run Biman and most private
airlines stopped their flights on domestic and Kolkata routes.
Airlines officials said they cancelled 10 flights since morning and
rescheduled several others though the civil aviation authorities kept
operative all the airports for flight operations with extra cautions.
Meteorologists, meanwhile, said the storm is now sweeping over the country
as a land depression with a maximum wind speed of 40-50, rising to 60 kph in
gusts.
In Barguna, Nur Jahan, 50, and her grandson Zahidul Islam, 8, died after a
tree fell on their home when they were asleep around 3:00 am due to the
effect of approaching Fani at Charduani village in Patharghata upazila of
Barguna, police said.
District administration distributed dry food among the people taking
refuge in cyclone shelters as a total of 335 cyclone shelters were remained
open, Barguna deputy commissioner Kabir Mahmud said.
In Bhola, a woman Rani Begum, 50, wife of Shamsul Haq as a house collapsed
and fell on her in Balia Koralia village under Dakshin Dighaldi union of
Sadar upazila in the early hours of today.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) M Kamal Hossen confirmed the news and said
several hundred mud and semi-pakka houses were also destroyed in the cyclone.
Around 38,000 people took refuge at the cyclone shelter, said district
officials.
Meanwhile, Ismail, a two-year old son of Abdur Rahman, was killed while a
house collapsed over him at char Aminul Haq village of Char Wapda Union in
Noakahli district last night and at least 30 people were injured in the eye
of Fani, an upazila control room official said.
Apart from this, a twelve years old girl named Nazmun Nahar Jhumur,
daughter of Abdul Hanif, was killed while collecting mangoes after being hit
by a fallen branch of a tree this morning in Companyganj upazila in Noakhali
district, deputy commissioner Tonmoy Das confirmed.
BSS/OG/GMR/1500 hrs