Three killed as deadly Cyclone Mocha slams into Bangladesh, Myanmar

Thousands of people have hunkered down in monasteries, pagodas and schools, seeking shelter from a powerful storm that slammed into the coast of Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh on Sunday (May 14).

Thousands of people have hunkered down in monasteries, pagodas and schools, seeking shelter from a powerful storm that slammed into the coast of Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh on Sunday (May 14).

As Cyclone Mocha crashed ashore, it uprooted trees, scattered flimsy homes in Rohingya displacement camps in Bangladesh, and brought a storm surge into low-lying areas.

Rescue services in Myanmar said two people were killed in a landslide, while local media reported the death of a man in Myanmar after a tree fell on him.

Packing winds of up to 195km/h (120mph), Mocha hit between Cox’s Bazar, home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and Myanmar’s Sittwe, according to Bangladesh’s weather office.

Streets in Sittwe were turned into rivers as the biggest storm to hit the Bay of Bengal in more than a decade surged through the seaside town.

Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury said the main Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar had been spared from the central thrust of the cyclone. The wind speed was high, with “more of a drizzle than torrential rain”, Chowdhury said.

Mocha has made landfall. 2m people at risk. Damage and losses are expected to be extensive. We are ready to respond and will need unhindered access to all affected communities. #whatsHappeningInMyanmar ⁦@UNDPasiapac⁩ ⁦@UNDP⁩ pic.twitter.com/GPaC1BQSwQ

— titon (@TitonMitra) May 14, 2023