Three persons were killed as “extremely severe” cyclonic storm Mocha made landfall in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Myanmar’s military information office said the storm damaged houses, electrical transformers, cell phone towers, boats and lampposts in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa townships.
Local media reports said that streets and basements of the houses in Sittwe’s low-lying areas were flooded and much of the area was cut off. More than 20,000 people in the city were moved to shelters, while around 4,000 were evacuated to other cities, according to AP.
Videos shared on social media showed a communication tower collapsing and billboards flying off in Sittwe.
The storm had previously passed over Bangladesh’s Saint Martin’s Island, causing widespread damage to property. It turned away from the country’s shores before landfall.
“The level of risk has reduced to a great extent in our Bangladesh,” Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department Director Azizur Rahman said, according to AP.
Over 4,00,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Mocha, reported Reuters.
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