At least 29 people died in 11 districts across Bangladesh as Cyclone Sitrang made landfall and crossed Barishal-Chattogram coast on Monday, leaving a trail of destruction.
According to reports reaching the UNB desk from its correspondents in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Narail, Sirajganj, Bhola, Barguna, Munshiganj, Noakhali and Gopalganj, most of the casualties were caused by falling trees since Monday morning as Bangladesh experienced moderate to heavy rain throughout the day.
In Chattogram, bodies of eight workers, who went missing on Monday night after a dredger sank in the Bay of Bengal, were recovered from the sea off the coast of Mirsarai on Tuesday.
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Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They were residents of the Patuakhali district.
The sand lifting dredger--Saikat-2--was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1,000 feet away from the embankment in the Bashundhara area of the upazila. But it sank when the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang intensified around 10:00pm on Monday, said Mirsarai Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Md Kabir Hossain.
Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2:00pm on Tuesday, the OC added.
At Sitakunda in Chattogram, the body of a seven-month-old girl child was recovered from a shipyard in the Bay of Bengal near the Kadamarsul area on Tuesday morning, said Mahbub, sub-inspector (SI) of Kumira Naval Police.
The child's body was swept into the shipyard by the strong tide of the sea. The body was later sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) morgue, the SI said.
In Cox’s Bazar, two people, including a Myanmar national, died in Teknaf upazila during the cyclone.
The deceased were identified as Myanmar national Shouming, 71, a cook of a ship, and Sohena, 9, a resident of the upazila.
Myanmar national Shouming died after falling from the deck of the ‘Zabuaung’, a ship carrying goods from Myanmar to Teknaf port as the cyclone hit Bangladesh coast last night, said United Land Port Manager of Teknaf Land Port Md Jasim Uddin Chowdhury.
Police recovered the body of Sohena, who went missing during the storm, from a pond of the upazila, said Teknaf Model police station officer-in-charge (OC) Hafizur Rahman.
In Brahmanbaria, a man died and his wife was injured as a tree fell on their house during the storm in Kasba upazila early Tuesday, said Kasba Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Masud Ul Alam.
The deceased was identified as Joynal Abedin Bhuiyan, a resident of the upazila.
In Munshiganj, a 28-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter were killed when a huge tree collapsed on them while they were asleep on Monday night at Kanakshar village in Louhajang upazila of the district.
The deceased were identified as Asma Akter, wife of Abdur Razzak and Sumaiya Akter, his daughter, Munshiganj Police additional superintendent Yeasmin Ferdous said.
Razzak was also injured during the incident. He was taken to Dhaka for better treatment.
In Noakhali, a one-year-old girl was killed and her mother was injured when a tree collapsed on them at Habibia village in Subarnachar upazila of the district early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Sneha, daughter of Abdullah of the village.
Charjabbar Police Station officer-in-charge Debopriyo Das said the tree collapsed on their house when Amena Begum, 25 and her daughter Sneha were asleep around 3:00am during the storm.
In Cumilla’s Nangalkot upazila, a couple and their four-year-old daughter died after a huge tree fell on their house in the Hesakhal area on Monday night. They were asleep when it happened.
Nangalkot Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) MD Raihan Mehbub said police rushed to the scene after the incident took place, killing Nizam Uddin, his wife Sharmin Akter Shathi, and their daughter Nusrat Akter Liza.
The incident occurred around 10:00pm when the wind speed was 60 kmph in Cumilla as the cyclone was making landfall, he said.
A 35-year-old woman--Morzina Begum--was reported to be dead as a tree fell on her head at Lohagara upazila complex in Narail around 11:00am on Monday.
Morzina hailing from Bagerhat used to work as a maid at Rajpur village in the upazila, Lohagara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Nasir Uddin said.
Her 11-year-old son was with her during the incident, but he survived, said the OC.
In Sirajganj sadar upazila, a mother and her son died as their boat sank in a canal of the Jamuna River on Monday night.
The deceased were identified as Ayesha Siddka, 30, wife of Khokon Sheikh from Purbo Mohonpur village, and her son Arafat Rahman, 5, said Bangabandhu Bridge West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mosaddek Hossain.
Ayesha’s husband and two other children were rescued from the scene of the accident, he said.
They were travelling home through the canal on a boat around 8:00pm Monday when it capsized amid bad weather. Arafat died at the scene while Aysha was declared dead after being taken to a hospital, said the OC.
In Bhola, four people died at sadar, Doulatkhan, Lalmohan and Char Fasson being crushed under trees and drowning.
The deceased were identified as Mofijul Islam, 60, from sadar upazila, Bibi Khadiza, 20, from Doulatkhan upazila, Rabeya, 30, from Lalmohan upazila, and Monir, 30 from Char Fasson upazila, said District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Delwar Hossain.
Mofizul died after a tree fell on his house on Monday night at Dhania union in sadar upazila, and Bibi Khadiza also died after being crushed under a tree. Monir was on a motorcycle when a tree branch fell, leaving him dead on the spot, while Rabeya drowned.
In Barguna sadar upazila a 110-year-old woman died while having dinner as a tree fell on her house at Sonakhali village.
She was alone in the house and died instantly, said Humayun Kabir, local Union Parishad Chairman.
In the Gopalganj district two women were crushed under trees at Tungipara upazila.
The deceased were Sharmin,25, wife of Rezaul from the Patgati union and Rumisa, 65, wife of Hanna Talukder from the Banshbaria union.
Sharmin died on Monday night as a tree fell on her at Panchkahania village during the storm while Rumisa got crushed under a tree at her home in Dumuria village, said Minhazur Rahman, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer.
He said their families will get Tk 25,000 as assistance, Tk 6,000 for rehabilitation and tin sheets.
