Thousands evacuated as Cyclone Sitrang hits Bangladesh: ‘Looked like the sea was coming to grab us’

Storm barrels into Bangladesh with winds up to 88 km/h and storm surge of about 10ft

At least 13 people have been killed and thousands evacuated in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sitrang lashed the south Asian delta nation.

The storm barreled into Bangladesh on Monday, uprooting trees and houses with winds up to 88km/h (55mph) and a storm surge of about 3m (10ft) while flooding low-lying coastal areas.

The tropical storm brought heavy rains throughout the day, flooding many areas in coastal regions across southern and southwestern Bangladesh.

Earlier on Monday, the government stopped all river vessels operations across the country.

Three airports were closed and fishing boats were asked to return from the deep sea and remain anchored in the Bay of Bengal.

Mass evacuations had been ordered before the cyclone made landfall on the west coast.

“It was terrible, it looked like the sea was coming to grab us,” Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Bhola district, told Reuters.

“We spent a sleepless night, all we could do was pray.”

Nearly 32,000 Rohingya refugees were moved from the camps to a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal to stay indoors, authorities said.

An aerial view shows flooded fields and houses after heavy rains in Kalapara on 25 October 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

“We felt the force of the strong wind but were spared,” Mohammed Arman, one of the refugees, told Reuters by phone.

Officials said on Tuesday that power and telephone links have been largely cut, plunging coastal areas into darkness.

Most of those who had been killed were crushed by fallen trees, according to authorities, while the full extent of the damage will only be assessed after communications are restored.

Flooding was also witnessed in state capital Dhaka.

The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal.

Government officials said precautionary measures, including evacuations, had been taken in coastal areas.

In a statement, state chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday evening: “There is a high chance of rain on October 25. There is an appeal to the people to avoid going out unnecessarily or to the sea areas including the Sundarbans. The state govt has made arrangements.”

On Tuesday morning, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said: “The Depression over northeast Bangladesh and neighborhood weakened into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area and lay centered over northeast Bangladesh and adjoining Meghalaya at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 25th October. To weaken into a low pressure area during next 06 hours.”

It also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over four northeast Indian states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Extreme weather events have been witnessed in south Asia in recent years.

As a delta nation, Bangladesh is prone to cyclones and floods, which experts said have been worsened by the impact of the climate crisis.

Farah Kabir, Bangladesh country director of ActionAid group, said to Reuters that this year had seen climate emergencies such as floods and droughts “on a scale that has never been witnessed before”.

“The climate crisis is growing, and here in Bangladesh we feel its ferocity.”

Additional reporting by agencies