Tropical Cyclone Rashmi batters Bangladesh by Alex Deakin
Cyclone Rashmi has brought torrential rain and gale force winds to southern Bangladesh, in recent days.
At least two people are reported to have died, and dozens are injured. Trees and power lines were downed and thousands of homes were damaged. The storm also triggered a tidal surge of up to 2 metres above normal, which hit some low lying coastal areas and off shore islands.
Cyclone Rashmi, which formed in the Bay of Bengal during the middle of last week, has driven strong winds and rain over the country since Friday. It moved northeast, making landfall near Patharghata, southwest Bangladesh, during the early hours of Monday. The storm is now rapidly weakening as it moves inland, although incessant rain and strong winds have reached as far north as the capital Dhaka and beyond.
Bangladesh is well accustomed to being hit by tropical storms, with the most violent cyclones usually occurring in the period from September to November. In November last year, Bangladesh was hit by Cyclone Sidr, a very severe cyclonic storm, which produced winds of up to 150mph (240 km/ph) and claimed the lives of nearly 3,500 lives.
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