Cyclonic storm Sitrang made a landfall in Bangladesh around midnight last night, crossing the Barisal-Chattogram coast near Bhola.
It has weakened rapidly into a depression with heavy rains in coastal areas and moderate to heavy downpours all over Bangladesh.
AIR Dhaka Correspondent reports that after continuous rain over the last two days in most parts of Bangladesh, Cyclone Sitrang started making landfall around 9 last night with its centre making a landfall around 12 last night.
Local media reports that at least 5 people died in various incidents related to the cyclone in Bangladesh. Earlier, more than 2 lakh people along with the cattle were evacuated from 15 coastal districts of the country. The government had set up close to 7000 cyclone shelters in the coastal districts to deal with the impact of the cyclone. Airports at Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram and Barisal were closed till 12 noon today.
Ferry services across the country were suspended in view of continuous rain and the effect of the cyclone. All the educational institutions of Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions have been closed for today. Around the clock monitoring was launched by the Prime Minister’s office to keep an eye on the situation and provide instruction to the local administration.