Hurricane hits Bangladesh

Press, 1 December 1988, Page 8

Hurricane hits Bangladesh

NZPA-Reuter Dhaka A hurricane and a tidal wave have hit Bangladesh and may have killed hundreds of people in the coastal areas, officials and witnesses said. The hurricane swept the Bay of Bengal with a wind speed of 165km/h and struck at least five districts, including the country’s capital Dhaka, they added. Officials said coastal districts of Bhola, Patuakhali and Khulna bore the main brunt of the hurricane which raced across the area for at least four hours. “We suspect hundreds may have been killed and SUSI million (SNZI.S million) worth of property

destroyed,” one official at Khulna told Reuters by telephone. The official said the high winds whipped up a five-metre high tidal wave which swept across the country’s second seaport in Mongla, putting the harbour out of operation. At least three ships waiting at the port ran aground and the port’s cargo-handling facilities totally collapsed, he said. A tidal wave may also have struck coastal areas in Bhola, Patuakhali and Barisal districts, he said. “It is hard to find survivors when an area is hit by a tidal wave,” the official said referring to a 1985 cyclone which killed about 11,000 people.