国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

   

Powerful cyclone kills 242 in Bangladesh

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-16 16:10

DHAKA, Bangladesh - A cyclone that slammed into Bangladesh's coast with 150 mph winds killed at least 242 people, leveled homes and forced the evacuation of 650,000 villagers before heading inland and losing power Friday, officials said.

Local residents look inside a damaged class room at a school in Barishal, 120 kilometers(75 miles) south of Bangladesh's capital Friday, Nov. 16, 2007. [Agencies] 

Cyclone Sidr roared across the country's southwestern coast late Thursday with driving rain and high waves. The storm left about 242 villagers dead from falling debris, said Nahid Sultana, an official at a cyclone control room in Dhaka.

By early Friday, the cyclone had weakened into a tropical storm and was moving across the country to the northeast. The department said that while skies remained overcast, wind speed had fallen to 37 mph.

Storm surges nearly 4 feet high inundated low-lying areas and some offshore islands in the 15 coastal districts in the cyclone's path. Communications with remote forest areas and offshore islands were temporarily lost.

Torrential rain late Thursday and early Friday flooded some streets in the capital, Dhaka, while strong winds sent billboards flying through the air.

In the coastal districts of Barguna, Bagerhat, Barisal and Bhola, residents said the storm flattened thousands of flimsy straw and mud huts, flooded low-lying areas, destroyed crops and fish farms, uprooted trees, electric and telephone poles. Road, rail and river transport also suffered.

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation, is prone to seasonal cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property. The coastal area borders eastern India and is famous for the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, a world heritage site that is home to rare Royal Bengal Tigers.

Thousands of coastal villagers moved to cyclone shelters - concrete buildings on raised pilings, or sought refuge inside "mud forts" - mud walls built along the coast to resist tidal surges. Schools, mosques and other public buildings were also turned into makeshift shelters.

At least 650,000 people had so far moved into official shelters, where they were being given emergency rations, Ali Imam Majumder, a senior government official, told reporters in Dhaka.

Authorities dispatched dry foods, medicines, tents and blankets to the affected areas, he said.

   1 2 3   


Top World News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
阿巴嘎旗| 宝坻区| 雷波县| 西充县| 宁远县| 漳浦县| 海原县| 富顺县| 微山县| 孝义市| 拉孜县| 临清市| 山西省| 富宁县| 肥西县| 子洲县| 舞钢市| 滦平县| 昭平县| 行唐县| 禹州市| 天津市| 湖南省| 房山区| 德昌县| 文成县| 永仁县| 阳曲县| 高州市| 托克逊县| 章丘市| 呼图壁县| 永定县| 盐津县| 疏勒县| 桦甸市| 荆州市| 万山特区| 鄂温| 萝北县| 樟树市|