Cyclone Remal slams into Bangladesh coast as hundreds of thousands evacuate
Al Jazeera
At least 800,000 people evacuate their homes in low-lying coastal areas of Bangladesh as intense cyclone makes landfall.
Cyclone Remal has smashed into the low-lying coast of Bangladesh as authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, officials said.
The storm started crossing the coast in the southern district of Khepupara in Bangladesh at around 8pm (14:00 GMT), meteorologist Shamim Ahsan told a news briefing in Dhaka on Sunday.
The cyclone, named Remal, was lashing the coast with wind speed up to 120 kilometres per hour (75mph), he said.
Authorities have raised the danger signal to 10, its highest level, and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief’s Secretary Kamrul Hasan said people have been ordered to move from “unsafe and vulnerable” homes.
At least 800,000 people have fled their coastal homes and have been shifted to cyclone shelters, government ministers and disaster officials said.
