Weak tornado hits Cox's Bazar beach leaving a trail of damage

Panicked tourists scramble for safety as it tears across Sugandha Point

A weak tornado has swept across Sugandha Point on Cox's Bazar beach, damaging more than 50 wooden chairs and 60 beach umbrellas.

No casualties have been reported.

The whirlwind struck around 2:45pm on Friday and lasted between three and five minutes, according to witnesses.

Tourists ran for shelter as the sudden vortex crossed the beach.

Mahbubur Rahman, president of the Cox's Bazar Beach Kitkot Business Owners' Association, said the rotating wind moved in from the sea before hitting Sugandha Point.

"It destroyed 52 wooden chairs and 61 umbrellas kept for tourists," he said.

Cox's Bazar weather office Assistant Meteorologist Abdul Hannan said discussions with senior officials confirmed it was a weak tornado.

"Tornadoes are usually highly destructive. Anyone caught in one should immediately move to a safe place," he said, noting that stronger tornadoes can lift people and objects high into the air.

He said tornadoes are most common in the United States but occur regularly in Bangladesh, recalling the devastating 1989 Manikganj-Dhaka tornado, one of the deadliest in history.

Although they are more common in summer, favourable weather conditions can trigger tornadoes at other times of the year, he added.

Another meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said shallow coastal waters like Cox's Bazar's could generate tornadoes.

After reviewing videos, he said the vortex appeared to resemble a tornado but was likely a very weak one, though there was insufficient evidence for a definitive confirmation.

He noted that tornadoes can produce winds of 250-500kph while affecting only a narrow path, unlike cyclones that cover much wider areas.