Cyclone Mocha: At least six killed, hundreds injured after powerful storm batters Myanmar

At least six people have been killed in Myanmar after a powerful storm, Cyclone Mocha, battered the nation. Officials evacuated some 1,000 people trapped by seawater along western Myanmar’s coast on Monday (May 15), while the country’s military leaders have declared Rakhine state a national disaster zone after the storm hit on Sunday.

The cyclone which brought strong winds and heavy rains has also injured more than 700 of about 20,000 people who were sheltering in buildings on the highlands of Sittwe township, reported the Associated Press, citing the leader of the Rakhine Youths Philanthropic Association in Sittwe, who asked not to be named.

The strife-torn Rakhine State bore the brunt of the storm with winds of up to 210 kph which ripped roofs off of the houses.

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The cyclone is said to be one of the strongest this century to hit the Bay of Bengal as well as Myanmar and Bangladesh. So far, six deaths have been reported by Myanmar media and rescue groups.

Meanwhile, seawater raced into more than 10 low-lying wards along the coast after the cyclone made landfall in Rakhine state Sunday afternoon, reported AP. As per local media reports, more than 850 houses, 64 schools, 14 health facilities and seven communication towers inMyanmar were destroyed or damaged by the category-five storm as it pummelled the country’s coast.

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The State Administration Council has issued disaster declarations for at least 17 townships in Rakhine state. The country’s military leaders have declared Rakhine state a national disaster area while heavy rains, storms, and strong winds were recorded particularly in and around the state capital Sittwe. Locals told the BBC that at least 90 per cent of the city was witnessing the destruction caused by the storm.

The report added that communication lines are also down after the winds knocked down poles and trees. According to Myanmar’s military information office, the storm has damaged houses and electrical transformers in Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Gwa townships.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said due to the “ongoing wild weather” and telecommunications hindrances, it has not yet been able to assess the disaster’s full magnitude. It added, “Early reports suggest the damage is extensive and needs among already vulnerable communities, particularly displaced people, will be high.”

As per Reuters, a spokesman for the Arakan Army militia force in Rakhine State said it was using its communication equipment to gather information on the impact of the storm because civilian networks had been severely disrupted.

Around 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh, as authorities and aid agencies scrambled to avoid heavy casualties. In 2008, Myanmar was hit by Cyclone Nargis which killed nearly 140,000 people while tens of thousands of homes and other buildings were washed away.

(With inputs from agencies)

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