Storm ‘Komen’ hits Bangladesh coast

Tropical storm ‘Komen’ has started making landfall, triggering strong winds along the Bangladesh coast.

Four people have been reportedly killed by trees uprooted by the winds before the storm hit after 9pm on Thursday.

Danger signal 7 was still being flashed at Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar ports, and danger signal 5 at Mongla and Payra ports.

Operations at Cox’s Bazar airport have been suspended.

Limited quantum of goods is being unloaded at Chittagong port, where the authorities issued an ‘alert 3’ alongside the danger signal.

Inland water transport has also been ordered closed until further notice.

Fishing boats and ships at sea were asked to move to safer places.

Met office Director Md Shah Alam said the entire storm would affect the coast around midnight.

“It has started to cross the Chittagong coast through Hatia, Sandwip around 9:30pm. As it has gotten weak, it may take three to four hours to cross the coast,” he told bdnews24.com around 9:45pm.

The coastal areas have been experiencing rains with strong winds.

The Met office alerted that the Chittagong hills might experience landslides due to the heavy rains.

The wind speed would be between 60-70 kilometres per hour while crossing the coast, Alam said.

The storm reached near Chittagong coast after crossing alongside Teknaf and Saint Martin’s island in the morning. The sea was rough.

Tidal waves, higher than five feet, may inundate the low-lying areas, the Met office has forecast.

Meteorological Department’s Alam said the storm might lose power gradually and move towards west-northwest causing rain after crossing the coast.

The signals might be scaled down on Friday morning, he added.

Apart from Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, the Met office also advised danger signal 7 for Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Bhola and their offshore islands and chars.

For seaports, danger signal 7 implies that a storm, with winds between 62 kph and 88 kph, of slight or moderate intensity may cross over or near them and will result to severe weather.

Coastal districts of Barguna, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars were advised to hoist danger signal No. 5.

Signal 5 implies that the port will experience severe weather from a storm of slight to moderate intensity, with wind speed between 62 and 88kph.

The government has evacuated about 300,000 people from the coastal areas before the storm hit.

Local administrations in Chittagong, Bhola, Jhalakathi, Lakshmipur and other coastal areas said they were alerting people and were prepared for post-cyclone rescue and relief.

Four people have been killed, one each in Saint Martin’s, Patuakhali, Bhola, and Hatia after being hit by trees, uprooted by the storm.

At least 24 fishermen have gone missing after three trawlers, which went out to the seas on Wednesday afternoon with a cyclone looming, capsized near the coast of Bhola’s Charfassion Upazila.