Bangladesh and Myanmar prepare for severe hurricane, evacuations started

A powerful hurricane is approaching Bangladesh and Myanmar. Hurricane Mocha is likely to make landfall on Sunday, bringing winds of 175 kilometers per hour with it. Tens of thousands of people have already fled the coastal areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar for fear of landslides and flooding. Bangladeshi authorities say they have taken measures to evacuate half a million people.

More than a million Rohingya refugees live in the southern coastal region of Bangladesh, near the border with Myanmar. Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Disaster Management said on Saturday that there is not enough capacity to evacuate all refugees in the area to safer places, thus the Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Grandstand.

Volunteers in coastal Bangladesh use loudspeakers to warn people of the approaching danger. Red flags have been raised on the coast. According to some forecasts, Hurricane Mocha could be the most powerful storm to hit the area in the last 20 years.

Read also: The Rohingya were welcome in Cox’s Bazar, but not anymore

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