New Delhi: Cyclone Mocha has created havoc. The powerful cyclonic storm inundated Myanmar’s port city of Sittwe on Sunday. Apart from this, some parts of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, were flooded. Winds of up to 130 miles per hour blew away tin sheds on the roofs of homes, and a telecom tower has fallen too.
Rescue teams in Myanmar said two people were killed in landslides triggered by the cyclonic storm, whereas local media reported one death after a tree fell in Myanmar. A report by Al Jazeera said that after a decade, a powerful storm has formed in the Bay of Bengal. Water is flowing like rivers on the streets of Sittwe City.
Myanmar’s Military Information Office said the cyclone damaged houses, power transformers, mobile towers, boats, and lampposts in Sittwe, Kyawpyu, and Gwa townships. The storm is also said to have ripped roofs off sports buildings on Koko Island, about 425 km (264 miles) southwest of Yangon, the country’s largest city.
More than 4,000 of Sittwe’s 300,000 residents have been moved by rescue teams to other towns. More than 20,000 people are housed in fortified buildings such as monasteries, pagodas, and schools in high-risk areas of the city.
The Indian Meteorological Department has reported that the very severe cyclonic storm ‘Mocha’ weakened somewhat after passing over Myanmar. This process is happening continuously. It is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next few hours. According to reports, around 300,000 people were shifted to safer areas in Bangladesh before the storm hit.
