Hamoon kills at least three as it crosses coastal districts
Of the reported deceased, two died after the walls of their house collapsed and another died after a tree fell upon him, according to locals and district officials.
At least three people have died in Cox's Bazar by being crushed under walls and trees due to the impacts of cyclonic storm Hamoon as it crossed the coastal districts of Cox's Bazar and Chattogram around Tuesday (24 October) midnight.
Of the reported deceased, two died after the walls of their house collapsed and another died after a tree fell upon him, according to locals and district officials.
Abdul Khalek, a resident of Ward-7 of Cox's Bazar city, died by being crushed under the walls of his house that came crashing down due to to cyclone, Pahartali Samaj Committee leader Tipu told The Business Standard.
Azgar Ali, president of Badarkhali of Badarkhali Cooperative Society at Chakaria, died after a tree fell upon him, a local representative said.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Besides, another unidentified person died in Maheshkhali when the wall of their house collapsed, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran confirmed the matter.
But he could not confirm the other two deaths.
Meanwhile, Meteorologist Mustafa Kamal Palash said analysis of cloud images obtained from Japan's artificial geosatellite shows that cyclonic storm Hamoon has started hitting the coastal areas over Cox's Bazar and Chattogram districts around 7:00pm on Tuesday.
By 12:15am Wednesday, Hamoon had crossed most of the land areas of the coastal districts, said the meteorologists, adding that the cyclonic storm is expected to lose 80% to 90% of its strength over the next few hours.
The cyclone started crossing the Bangladesh coast at about 6:00pm Tuesday, triggering gusty winds and heavy rainfall across Cox's Bazar, as it weakened from a severe cyclone to a normal one.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast that coastal areas may see tides three to five feet above normal.
The maritime ports of Payra and Chattogram have been asked to hoist danger signal No-7 and for Cox's Bazar No-6.
The coastal districts of Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Pirozpur, Jhalakathi, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Chandpur and other offshore islands and chars will come under danger signal number seven.
All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.
Besides, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has announced the suspension of all types of water vessel services across the country due to inclement weather conditions caused by the cyclone.
