Cyclone Midhili claims 3 lives as it crosses coast

At least three people died after being crushed under falling trees due to the impacts of cyclonic storm Midhili as it crossed the coastal districts of the country at around 3pm on Friday.

The storm over the northwest Bay moved north-northeastwards and completed crossing the coast at 3pm on Friday, according to the special bulletin of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.   

It later weakened into a deep depression and was over Patuakhali and adjoining areas.

According to the Met Office, the highest rainfall was recorded in Bhola at 249mm till 6pm Friday. Dhaka recorded 31mm rainfall till 6pm.

The first incident took place in Magadhara union of Sandwip upazila around 4:30pm, when Abdul Wahab, 65, was returning home after offering prayer at a mosque when the tree fell on him amid strong wind, said Sandwip Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Bashir Ahmed Khan.

In a separate incident, a three-year-old died after a tree branch fell on the child at Jorarganj of Mirsarai upazila at around 5:00pm, Mirsarai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mahfuza Jerin confirmed The Business Standard.  

The UNO said the government has provided Tk25,000 to the family of the deceased.

In Tangail's Basail upazila, cloth merchant Abdur Razzak, 40, died after a tree branch fell on him due to the gusty winds caused by Midhili, confirmed UNO Papia Aktar. 

Md Mijanur Rahman, director general of the Department of Disaster Management, told TBS, they had not received any reports of casualties yet. "However, there are reports of a few fishing trawlers missing in Cox's Bazar and Barguna."

He added that 929 medical teams in coastal areas remain vigilant, with about 67,299 people seeking refuge in 7,355 shelters across the country. By evening, everyone had returned home, and 8,685 cattle were also sheltered.

200 fishermen lost

At least 15 fishing boats carrying some 200 fishermen went missing in the Bay of Bengal on Friday amid the rampage of cyclone Midhili in the deep sea.

Besides, a trawler named MV Nishat sank in the deep sea with 18 fishermen, all of whom were later rescued by another trawler and brought back to the shore, Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna Trawler Owners Association, said.

"However, the Trawler Owners Association has been unable to establish contact with 15 trawlers in the deep sea. As a result, 200 fishermen on those trawlers are still missing," he added.

He said efforts were ongoing to establish contact with the missing trawlers.

Communication severed, houses damaged 

Meanwhile, train services between Dhaka-Chattogram-Noakhali and Sylhet were halted due to uprooted trees falling on the railway line in Brahmanbaria Sadar at around 7pm.

Normal train operations will resume once the trees are cleared from the track, said railway officials.

Midhili also uprooted trees, disrupting traffic and breaking electrical cables in various parts of Noakhali. Numerous uprooted trees were reported in Hatia, Subarnachar, Companiganj, and Kabirhat, leading to house damage and fallen ripe paddy in several locations.

In Bhola, the Midhili caused damage to more than 350 houses and devastating Aman paddy, according to the Agriculture Office. 

The deputy commissioner's office reported that the damage assessment has commenced, with Charfashion upazila being the most affected, witnessing 219 houses damaged. 

Charfashion UNO Naureen Haque highlighted the severe impact, with a power outage since Thursday, estimating 200 partially destroyed and 19 completely destroyed houses. 

In terms of damage, the 1970 cyclone is the biggest in Bangladesh. Since then, about 20 cyclones, big and small, have hit Bangladesh including Midhili. 

Meteorologists attribute the occurrence of three cyclones in a year to the erratic weather patterns caused by "El Nino" conditions in the region, suggesting a potential link to global warming.