Cyclone Sitrang claims 29 lives

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.

Five of the deceased were identified as Mahmud Molla, Alamin, Imam Molla, Abul Bashar and Tarek. They were residents of Patuakhali district.

The sand lifting dredger--Saikat-2--was anchored, with the eight workers on board, in the sea around 1000 feet away from the embankment in Bashundhara area of the upazila. But it sank when the storm triggered by Cyclone Sitrang intensified around 10 pm on Monday, said Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirsarai Police Station.

Mirsarai police and fire service divers recovered the bodies from the sunken dredger around 2pm 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 body of the child was swept into the shipyard by the strong tide of the sea, he added.

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 Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf Model police station.

In Brahmanbaria, a man died and his wifewwas 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, said additional superintendent Munshiganj Police Yeasmin Ferdous.

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.

Debopriyo Das, officer-in-charge of Charjabbar Police Station, said the tree collapsed on their house when Amena Begum, 25 and her daughter Sneha were sleeping around 3 am 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 at Hesakhal area on Monday night. They were asleep when it happened.

MD. Raihan Mehbub, Nangalkot Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), 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 pm 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 first reported to be dead as a tree fell on her head at Lohagara upazila complex in Narail around 11 am on Monday.

Morzina hailing from Bagerhat used to work as a maid at Rajpur village in the upazila, said Md Nasir Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Lohagara Police Station.

During the incident her 11-year-old son was with her, but he survived, said the OC.

In Sirajganj sadar upazila, a mother and her son died as their boat sank in a canal of 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 Mosaddek Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Bangabandhu Bridge West Police Station.

Ayesha’s husband and two other children were rescued from the scene of the accident, he said.

They were traveling home through the canal on a boat around 8 pm 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, five people died at Sadar, Doulatkhan, Lalmohan and Char Fasson upazilas, being crushed under trees and from drowning.

The deceased were identified as Mofijul Islam, 60, and Nasir from sadar upazila, Bibi Khadiza, 20, from Doulatkhan upazila, Rabeya, 30, from Lalmohan upazila, and Monir, 30 from Char Fasson upazila, said Delwar Hossain, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer.

Mofizul died after a tree fell on his house on Monday night at Dhania union in sadar upazila and Bibi Khadiza also died being crushed under a tree. Monir was on a motorcycle when a tree branch fell, leaving him dead on the spot while Rabeya drowned.

Nasir was electrocuted to death on Tuesday morning while removing a tree that had fallen on the road during the storm in Alinagar area of Bhola Sadar upazila, said Superintendent of Police Md Saiful Islam.

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 Gopalganj district two women were crushed under trees at Tungipara upazila.

The deceased were Sharmin,25, wife of Rezaul from Patgati union and Rumisa, 65, wife of Hanna Talukder from Banshbaria union.

Sharmin died on Monday night as a tree fell on her at Panchkahania village during a storm while Rumisa got crushed under a tree at her home at Dumuria village, said Minhazur Rahman, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer.

He said their families will get Tk 25,000 as assistance, Tk 6000 for rehabilitation and tin sheets.