Online Desk :

The death toll from Cyclone Remal, which smashed into low-lying areas of Bangladesh last night, has risen to at least 10 people, with more than 30,000 homes destroyed and tens of thousands more damaged, officials said.

Seven people died in the Barishal division, said Mohammad Showkat Ali, divisional commissioner of Barishal.

Among them, three people died in Bhola, three in Barisal, and one in Patuakhali. Among the three killed in Barishal, 2 died in Sadar upazila and one in Bakerganj, he told the Daily Star.

“They mostly died after they were crushed under fallen houses or collapsed walls or trees,” he added.

Asked about the damage caused by the cyclone, he said due to communication disruptions they are yet to ascertain the true picture of casualties and devastation.

Heavy rains with strong winds are still battering the region, Showkat Ali said.

Fierce gales and crashing waves battered the coast as Cyclone Remal made landfall on Sunday night. By today afternoon, it had weakened into a storm, but winds and rain still lashed the coast.

In Khulna, two people died, Helal Mahmud, divisional commissioner of Khulna, told AFP.

“The cyclone has damaged more than 123,000 homes in the division, and among them some 31,000 homes were completely damaged,” he said.

Among the dead, one is Lalchand Morol, 36, of Gariardanga village in Surkhali Union under the upazila, reports our local correspondent quoting Ripon Kumar, officer-in-charge of Batiaghata Police Station.

Lalchand died after a tree fell on his house last night, the OC said.

In Chattogram, a man died after a wall collapsed on him in the city area amid heavy rains and strong wind.

Tofael Islam, divisional commissioner of Chattogram, told The Daily Star that the cyclone has caused damage. However, it is still early to assess the situation as the effect of the cyclone is still causing disruptions in communication.

The situation is improving, he said, hoping that there would be no more casualties in the region.

Power was knocked out to more than 12.5 million people, said Biswanath Sikder, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, the country’s largest state-run power distribution company.

“We will resume power supply after the cyclone situation improves,” he said.