At least 23 people have died and millions have been left without power after Cyclone Remal, the first tropical storm of the season, struck Bangladesh and eastern India on Sunday. The cyclone, with winds exceeding 70 miles per hour, caused widespread destruction by uprooting trees and damaging power lines throughout the region.
In Bangladesh, 13 fatalities were reported, and over 35,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed in coastal areas, impacting about 3.5 million people. More than 13 million residents lost electricity by Monday evening, according to officials from the power ministry. Bangladesh, with a population of 170 million, faced significant challenges due to the storm.
The Indian state of West Bengal also experienced power outages and property damage. In the northeastern state of Mizoram, which neighbors Bangladesh, heavy rains from the remnants of the cyclone caused a stone quarry to collapse, resulting in at least 10 deaths and several people missing, officials reported on Tuesday.
Cyclone Remal made landfall near Bangladesh’s southern port of Mongla and the neighboring Sagar Islands of India around 9 p.m. on Sunday, following weeks of intense heat with temperatures reaching about 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). Approximately one million people were evacuated from Bangladesh’s coastal villages before the storm hit, with many of these villages subsequently flooded, leaving millions vulnerable.
“As Cyclone Remal hits the coastal areas of Bangladesh, over 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, are at high health, nutrition, sanitation, and safety risks,” Sheldon Yett, a UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, said in a statement.
Bangladesh’s inland capital, Dhaka, experienced heavy rain and strong winds, disrupting flights at Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern Bangladesh and Kolkata Airport in India. By Tuesday, the storm had weakened, but meteorologists in both countries warned that heavy rain and strong winds could persist for several days.
Bangladesh has faced several violent storms in recent years. Last May, Cyclone Mocha hit Bangladesh and Myanmar, causing multiple deaths and extensive damage in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, destroying over 3,000 shanties and learning centers.
In a related event, the Philippines experienced its first tropical storm of the season. Typhoon Ewiniar hit early Saturday morning, resulting in seven casualties, according to the Office of Civil Defense. The storm brought gusts of over 40 miles per hour, as reported by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
