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Cyclone Roanu kills 21 in Bangladesh, softens

by Reuters
Saturday, 21 May 2016 17:02 GMT

A ship is seen from the shore of the Bay of Bengal before cyclone Mahasen approaches in Chittagong in this 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

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Authorities in low-lying Bangladesh have relocated about 500,000 people

* Over 100 injured as houses damaged, trees uprooted

* Government moving more people from landslide-prone areas (Updates death toll, latest forecast)

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA, May 21 (Reuters) - A cyclone battered coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and injuring many more, but has now weakened into a depression that the weather office said could still bring brief periods of violent wind or rain.

Authorities in low-lying Bangladesh have moved about 500,000 people into 3,500 shelters, the disaster minister said. Cyclone Roanu has killed people in house collapses, landslides and a storm surge that broke embankments at two places in the Chittagong port city in the southeast.

"We've shifted most of the people who are vulnerable," said Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, adding that people were working "all-out" to contain and tackle the damage.

Several people were injured after gusty winds damaged houses and shops and uprooted trees and electric poles. Some places were inundated by a storm surge of 3 to 4 feet (a metre or more) above normal tide height, officials said.

Authorities were also evacuating people from hilly parts of Chittagong in case persistent rain triggers more landslides.

Officials suspended flights at Chittagong airport while the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority restricted movement of all ships and ferries.

The weather office, in its final update for the day, advised fishing boats and trawlers to remain in shelter until Sunday noon.

Bangladesh is frequently battered by such storms. More than 3,000 people were killed by Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and around 200 lives were lost to Cyclone Aila in 2009. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Robert Birsel and Ruth Pitchford)

"We've shifted most of the people who are vulnerable," Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told a news conference.

"All-out preparations are in place to tackle the damage".

Several people were injured after gusty winds damaged houses and shops and uprooted trees and electric poles. Several areas were inundated by a storm surge of 3-4 foot above normal tide height, officials said.

Authorities are now evacuating people from the hilly region in the Chittagong port city amid fears that heavy rains might cause more landslides.

Officials suspended flights at Chittagong airport in the southeast while the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority imposed restrictions on the movement of all ships and ferries.

"The sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre," it said.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Robert Birsel and Elaine Hardcastle)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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