Cyclone Remal devastates India and Bangladesh, leaving at least 23 dead

At least 23 people were killed and millions were left without power when Cyclone Remal, the first tropical storm of the season, hit Bangladesh and neighboring eastern India on Sunday.

Remal, which recorded wind speeds of over 70 miles per hour, left a trail of devastation, uprooting trees and damaging power lines across the region, officials said.

The storm claimed 13 lives in Bangladesh and damaged or destroyed over 35,000 houses in coastal areas. According to the authorities, around 3.5 million people were affected. According to the Ministry of Energy, over 13 million people were without electricity on Monday evening. The South Asian country has a population of 170 million.

The storm also caused power outages and damaged homes in the Indian state of West Bengal. On Tuesday, authorities said at least 10 people were killed and several others were missing after heavy rains from the remnants of the cyclone caused a quarry to collapse in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram, which borders Bangladesh.

The storm hit the region after weeks of intense heat, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Remal made landfall around 9 p.m. on Sunday near the port of Mongla in southern Bangladesh and the neighboring Sagar Islands of India.

About a million people had to be evacuated from Bangladesh’s coastal villages ahead of the storm. Most of these villages were flooded, leaving millions at risk, officials said.

“As Cyclone Remal hits coastal areas of Bangladesh, more than 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, are facing high health, nutrition, hygiene and safety risks,” Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement.

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was hit by heavy rains and strong winds. The storm caused flight cancellations at Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern Bangladesh and Kolkata Airport in India.

The storm had weakened by Tuesday, but meteorologists in Bangladesh and India warned that heavy rains and strong winds could continue for several days.

Bangladesh has been hit by several violent storms in recent years. Last May, severe cyclone Mocha hit Bangladesh and Myanmar, leaving several people dead. The storm caused extensive damage to the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, destroying over 3,000 huts and learning centers made of bamboo slats and plastic sheeting.

The Philippines also experienced its first tropical storm of the season. Typhoon Ewiniar hit the island nation early Saturday morning. The Department of Civil Defense reported on Monday that the storm had claimed seven lives. The storm had gusts of over 40 miles per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Suhasini Raj contributed to the reporting.