CHITTAGONG - A severe cyclone from the Bay of Bengal lashed the Bangladesh coast yesterday, demolishing homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 500,000 people.
There was no information on casualties as the cyclone pounded the Cox's Bazar and Teknaf areas in the south of the country with winds of more than 200 kph, officials said.
However, they feared heavy loss of life and property damage, saying the impact at some places could be greater than the country's worst cyclone in 1991, which killed at least 138,000 people and left millions homeless.
Weather officials forecasters said the core of the cyclone could trigger a tidal surge of up to five metres.
Authorities fear high seas will inundate large low lying areas in the South Asian country. The worst affected areas so far lie in the west of the country, near the border with Burma.
Meanwhile, one man was killed and at least 50 were seriously injured as winds of more than 100 kph battered the port city of Chittagong yesterday, early reports said. Doctors at Chittagong Medical College Hospital said they feared many more casualties. "This was a major devastation and we think many more casualties will follow," one doctor said. Hundreds of houses were demolished in the city.