Dhaka, Nov 11 – At least 14 people were killed and scores others injured while some 10,000 houses and crops on 2 lakh hectares of land damaged as cyclone Bulbul left a trail of destructions in coastal districts of Bangladesh on Sunday. The very severe cyclone also barrelled into the coasts of India killing at least 12.
The Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest which straddles the two nations and is home to several endangered species, shielded the coast from the storm’s full impact, officials added.
Most of these people died in Bangladesh as trees and houses fell on them during the cyclone, a natural disaster that often hits the country.
Of the casualties, three were reported from Khulna, two each from Bagerhat and Patuakhali, and one each from Barguna, Gopalganj, Barishal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Madaripur, and Shariatpur, according to unofficial figures collected by our correspondents.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman said Bulbul left a trail of destruction, damaging some 10,000 mud, CI sheet and bamboo homes and 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of crops.
The cyclone also hit river transport services for two days until yesterday morning.
Road communications and electricity connections also snapped in several districts.
In Khulna, three people were killed a trees fell on them in two Upazilas of the district during the gusty winds and heavy rainfall caused by the storm, authorities said.
One Promila Mondol, 52, was killed when a tree fell on her in Dacope upazila Sunday morning, said Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdul Wadud.
Another, Alamgir Hossain, 40, was killed when a heavy tree branch fell on him in Dighalia upazila around 9am, Mollik Morshed, officer-in-charge of Dighalia Police Station, said.
Rahman Sheikh, 78, was killed at Rupsha Upazila of the district when a tree fell on him, local administration said.
In Barguna, Halima Khatun, wife of Mozaffar Hossain of Banai village, in Sadar upazila, died of cardiac arrest at a cyclone centre on Saturday night, said Anisur Rahman, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer. The local administration provided Tk 25,000 for the family of Halima, he said.
In Bagerhat, Samia Khatun, 15, of Bhorasapur village in Rampal upazila, and Hira Begum, 27, wife of Masum Sheikh of Chapuli village in Fakirhat upazila, were killed during the cyclone.
Samia died and two people were injured after a tree fell on their house while they were asleep at Bhorasapur village in Rampal in the morning, said Pankaj Chandra Roy, superintendent of Bagerhat police.
Hira was killed after a huge tree branch fell on her while she was moving to another house from hers around 11am, said Quamrul Islam, Bagerhat additional deputy commissioner.
A total of 44,563 households, 35,529 hectares of arable land and 7,234 fish enclosures were damaged under the influence of heavy rain and strong winds in the coastal district of Bagerhat caused by the cyclone “Bulbul”.
Besides, 18.35 kilometres of embankments were also damaged due to the cyclonic storm.
Among the households, 35,775 were partially damaged while 8,788 were fully destroyed, reports our Bagerhat correspondent quoting Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat Mamunur Rashid.
In Patuakhali, Hameda Fakir, 65, was killed as a tree collapsed on a house at Rampura village in Mirzapur upazila early morning, said Upazila parishad chairman Abu Bakar.
Besides, Sufia Begum, 65, died of ‘heart attack’ after being panicked at Purbo Dhankhali Government Primary School cyclone shelter in Kalapara upazila on Saturday night, according to the control room in the district.
Kuakata municipality mayor Shah Alam Hawaldar said some 10,000 people were marooned in low-lying areas while crops on vast tracts of land went under water.
In Gopalganj, a 70-year old man Sekel Hawladar was killed when a tree fell on him at Kotalipara upazila on Sunday noon, UNO SM Mahfuzur Rahman said.
Besides, hundreds of households and poultry farms were damaged while thousands of trees were uprooted. The electricity connection has been disrupted at different parts of the Upazila. Croplands and fruit-bearing trees were damaged as well.
In Barishal, a 65-year old Ashalata Majumder was killed as a tree fell on her during the cyclonic storm in Wazipur municipality in Barishal on Sunday afternoon, UNO Masuma Akhtar said.
In Satkhira, an elderly man of 60 years Abul Kalam died of cardiac arrest while he was returning home from a cyclone shelter at Gabura union of Shyamnagar upazila. While Alyea Bibi, 55, died of cardiac arrest as well, UNO of Shyamnagar Kamruzzaman said.
He said around 80 per cent kutcha and semi-pucca houses were damaged at Gabura union during the cyclone. The electricity supply and internet connections remained snapped in the Upazila since the cyclone lashed the area.
Several hundred shrimp enclosures went under water in Gabura, Padmapukur, Atulia, Kashimari and other unions in the upazila, he said.
In addition, the electricity connection has been snapped in four upazilas Shyamnagar, Ashshuni, Kaliganj and Devhata as 121 electric polls were damaged due to the lash of Bulbul.
In Bhola, a fisherman was killed and 10 others were missing as their fishing trawler sank in Meghna river.
Superintendent of police, Bhola Mohammad Kawsar said at least 24 fishermen went on fishing on trawler on Meghna river. Ten were rescued alive while one body has been recovered and the remaining 13 were still missing, he added.
At least 10 people were injured and 15 dwellings damaged in Lalmohon and Charfasson upazilas on Saturday night.
Five of the injured were identified as Sajeda Begum, Tarique, Arif, Sharif and Mustafiz, and they all are residents of the village.
Of them, Tarique, 17, who suffered severe injuries is undergoing treatment at Charfasson Hospital, said Mir Khairul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Lalmohan Police Station.
Lalmohan UNO Habibul Hasan Rumi said eight people were injured at Lord Hardinge union in the Upazila. Four of the injured were taken to Charfasson Hospital for treatment.
At least seven houses were damaged by the storm at different villages in Wajpur union of Charfasson Upazila around 9pm, said Wajpur union Parishad chairman SelimHawlader.
In Shariatpur, a 70-year old Ali Bakh Saiyal was killed when a tree fell on his house at Dingamanik union of Naria upazila, officer-in-charge of Naria police station Hafizuddin said.
Besides, at least 350 houses were damaged and several hundred threes were flattened at Goshairhat upazila, said UNO Alamgir Hossain.
In Pirojpur, a 65-year old Noni Gopal Mondol was killed when a tree fell on his house at Malikhali union of Nazirpur upazila due to the havoc of Bulbul. Besides, two children Sumi, 8, and Nasir,16, of the same family were injured, UP chairman Hasanat Dalim confirmed.
In Madaripur, a 40-year old woman Saleha Begum was killed when a tree fell on her house at Gatmari village of Sadar upazila at around 3pm on Sunday, UNO of Sadar upazila Saifuddin Gias said. District administration gave Tk 20,000 to the family members of the deceased.
Besides, six other people were injured when trees fell on them at Rajoir upazila while a classroom of Chowhoddi secondary girls’ school was damaged.
Disruption of electricity
Electricity supply was disrupted in 18 districts Bhola, Shatkhira, Bhagerhat, Khulna, Potuakhali, Pirojpur, Jhalakhathi, Barishal, Madaripur, Jeshore, Gopalganj, Laxmipur, Feni, Noakhali, Chandpur Cumilla, Faridpur and Shariatpur, according to the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board.
Around three million of electricity consumers in cyclone Bulbul hit areas are facing power outage as the grid power connectivity has suspended their for rescue work, official sources confirmed.
Sources of concerned officials said that power supply will be normalised in most areas by yesterday (Monday). It will take another two to three days to supply electricity to full swing everywhere, they added.
Engineer Md. Shafique Uddin, managing director of West Zone Power Distribution Company told journalists that at least 5 to 6 lakh people of his area are out of electricity.
“We are trying to restore the power supply as early as possible but it will take time as power supply line of 25 kilo meter road have been destroyed for felling trees on them,” he said.
Asking about the number of affected district, the MD said that all districts of Barisal and some of Khulna are out of electricity. But they are working to fix the most affected area. However, some areas of four districts—Barisal, Barguna, Jhalokati, Patuakhali are out of power as the devastation were highly on them.
However, he mentioned that they have been able to deliver electricity to 90 percent of their customers. Electricity will start all over the city by yesterday (Monday) night.
Disaster ministry report
Meanwhile, state minister for disaster management at a briefing on the cyclone and its impact said some 10,000 mud, CI sheet and bamboo houses and 200,000 hectares of crops
“The damage by cyclone ‘Bulbul’ was much lesser as the wind speed was only 80km-90km per hour,” he said while addressing a press briefing on the post-cyclone situation at the Secretariat.
The state minister claimed that two people were killed 30 others injured during the cyclone.
He said the exact extent of damage will be ascertained based on the information to be provided by the respective district administrations.
The ministers said over 2,106,918 people were evacuated to some 5,787 cyclone centres in the coastal areas.
Under the influence of the cyclone Bulbul, the flights of different routes were also suspended to avert any sort of casualties ahead of the cyclone.
Launch services resumed across Bangladesh yesterday morning after a disruption of more than 50 hours caused by cyclone ‘Bulbul’.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) issued a notice in this regard on Sunday night.
Launches have started plying their usual routes from 6 am, said Md Jahangir Alam, a senior information officer at the Ministry of Shipping.
Earlier on Friday night, BIWTA suspended launch services on all routes as cyclone ‘Bulbul’ approached Bangladesh. – Staff Reporter
