Cyclone Mocha: St Martin's Island in Bangladesh may go underwater temporarily; check details

On Saturday, authorities launched a massive evacuation campaign to relocate close to half a million people along the southeastern coastlines as a "very dangerous" tropical cyclone was expected to make landfall in the country, threatening the Rohingya refugee camp, the world's largest.

Team Newsable

First Published May 14, 2023, 2:15 PM IST

The head of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) on Sunday (May 14) said that Saint Martin's, the one and only coral island of Bangladesh, may be temporarily submerged due to the impact of Cyclone Mocha.

BMD Director Md Azizur Rahman said, "Since there is no major infrastructure on the island, the storm will not get obstructed anywhere and hit the island directly. As the centre of the storm passes over St Martin's, water will move from one side of the island to the other, and due to the intensity of the storm, the island may be underwater for some time."

"But the water will not stay still; it may also move away. The situation depends entirely on the speed of the storm," he added.

Meteorologist Shahinul Islam said the bulk and centre of the storm would pass over Myanmar and the rest would lash Cox's Bazar coast.

Cyclone Mocha, one of the most powerful cyclones seen in Bangladesh in nearly two decades, is predicted to barrel towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on Sunday.

"Cyclone 'Mocha' is coming. We have kept the cyclone centres and taken all types of preparations to tackle it," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had said.

The evacuation drive was taken as the maritime port of Cox's Bazar has been advised to hoist danger signal no 10 as Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify further and move in a north-north-westerly direction.

Meteorologists said the storm's path is set to affect Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar where over a million Rohingya refugees live.

Last Updated May 14, 2023, 2:15 PM IST