A tropical storm off Bangladesh's southeastern coast weakened into a depression yesterday as it made landfall, but several fishing boats were reported missing in rough seas, the weather department and news reports said.
A tidal surge killed at least one fisherman and damaged hundreds of homes, officials said.
The low-pressure system crossed over the coastal districts of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar at around 0300 GMT yesterday, and was heading toward India's northeastern coast, said a bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department, based in the capital, Dhaka.
The depression was causing drizzles and overcast skies in its path, it added.
Cyclones — called typhoons throughout much of Asia and hurricanes in the Western hemisphere — are large-scale rotating storms that generate high winds and typically form at sea before moving inland.
Local television reports said several fishing boats were missing at sea, and storm surges inundated several offshore islands.
Authorities in the coastal region were trying to verify the reports from the remote offshore areas, Osman Gani Mansur, a reporter in Chittagong told the press by telephone.
Several flimsy straw and mud houses and shrimp beds were washed away, the private ATN Bangla network reported. It also said at least 20 fishing boats were reported missing in the Bay of Bengal.
The weather department had warned all fishing boats to stay close to shore on Monday as the storm — packing winds of up to 88kph — headed toward the country's Bay of Bengal coast bordering Myanmar.
Volunteers alerted villagers along the coast and helped people move to cyclone shelters as a precaution. Local authorities and the Red Cross opened monitoring centers and prepared rescue and medical teams.
Inclement weather also halted activities at sea ports and airports along the coast on Monday, while inland river ferry services were canceled. Planes and ships were moved to shelters.
Bangladesh, a low-lying delta, is prone to deadly cyclones and floods.
The country's coastline and offshore islands are dotted with concrete cyclone shelters, where villagers and fishermen take refuge.
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