4 children drown in storm surges
Four children drowned in tidal water and a rickshaw-puller was crushed under a tree in Barishal division, while low-lying regions in the country were inundated after cyclone Yaas made landfall yesterday noon on the Odisha-West Bengal coast in India.
In a briefing yesterday, the state minister for disaster management and relief said 27 upazilas in nine districts were affected by the cyclone.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The met office said Yaas weakened to a severe cyclone from a very severe cyclone and was gradually losing its strength. Yet, all the passenger vessels and fishing trawlers were asked to stay close to the shore until further notice as sea remain very choppy.
In Barishal district's Bakerganj upazila, two children in separate villages drowned in tidal water.
Both victims -- Sumaiyya and Aajoya -- were three years old, said Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bakerganj Police Station.
Sumaiyya was the daughter of Hafizur Rahman of Dhalmara village and Aajoya the daughter of Ali Azahar of Runshi Posuyee village, the OC added.
Both died in almost similar fashion -- they left their homes and slipped into the tidal water, the police official said.
In Jhalakathi's Rajapur upazila, an eight-year-old boy drowned while playing in flood water.
The deceased is Siam Hossain, son of Faruk Hossain of Pingri village in the upazila.
Siam had gone out to swim in an inundated field in the morning, said Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Rajapur Police Station.
When the eight-year-old did not return, family members searched for him and found him in an unconscious state in a flooded field next to their house, the OC said, quoting family members.
When he was taken to Rajapur upazila health complex, the duty doctor declared Siam dead.
In Barguna's Betagi upazila, a three-year-old boy drowned after falling from his mother's lap when they were going to a cyclone centre.
The victim, Imamul Hasan, was son of Swapan Mia of Sarishamuri village under Betagi upazila.
The incident took place around 11:00am yesterday at South Kalikabari area, said Suhrid Salehin, Betagi's upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).
In Bhola, a rickshaw-puller named Abu Taher (55) died on Tuesday night when a tree fell on him in Char Sakina village under Lalmohan upazila.
At least 30 chars out of 40 in Bhola were flooded and some areas were submerged in five to six feet of water, said Abdur Rashid, deputy director of the district's Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP).
In the district's remote Monpura upazila, at least 5,000 people were evacuated and brought to a shelter, said Monpura Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Shamim Mia.
The road along Hazirhat to north and south Sakuchia, adjacent to the Monpura embankment, has been damaged, the UNO said.
Another remote coastal island, Char Kukrimukri, was also inundated.
Around 1,500 people were taken to cyclone centres in Dhalchar union of Charfashion upazila as the union went under six to seven feet of tidal water, said Abdus Salam, chairman of the union parishad.
Besides, cracks developed on a 300-metre embankment at the old Hijla point, said Prashanta Kumar Roy, Barishal district's relief and rehabilitation officer.
Different points on Kazir Char road of Barishal's Muladi upazila were completely destroyed while different portions of the embankment of Nalua union in Bakerganj upazila were also damaged, said Prashanta.
Besides, areas of Palashpur, Chakarua, Sagardi, Gernadi, Muladi, Hizla and Mehendiganj were also flooded, he said.
Water level of different rivers in Barishal increased by 10 to 137 centimetres above the danger level yesterday during the tidal surge, according to a Water Development Board (WDB) official.
Meanwhile, at least 175 villages were flooded in Patuakhali due to the tidal surge. Several hundred houses and many arable lands were inundated.
Cracks developed at different points of the 41-kilometre embankment, according to a WDB official.
Over 2,600 ponds and 600 fish enclosures were submerged causing a loss of around Tk 50 crore, said officials of the fisheries department.
In Pirojpur, some fifty villages located alongside different rivers got flooded, causing inundation of many houses, farmlands and fish enclosures.
Road communications remained suspended for over four hours at the Pirojpur-Hulerhat road as a portion of the road had been submerged.
In Satkhira, over a thousand families were marooned after cracks developed at 49 points of WDB's embankment. Communication in many areas remained suspended and many shrimp enclosures were washed away.
In Khulna, around 7,500 people of four villages in Koyra upazila suffered from waterlogging as tidal water entered the villages following breaches of portions of the embankment.
Over a hundred houses collapsed and around 500 shrimp enclosures were washed away, according to local administration and locals.
In Cox's Bazar, the sea beach was asked to hoist cautionary signal number three as the sea water may rise up to six feet than normal time. Besides, a portion of the jetty's pontoon in Saint Martin's Island was broken.
In Pabna and Sirajganj, water level increased in the Jamuna river, which may flood low-lying areas.
[Our correspondents from respective districts contributed to the story]
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