6 killed, 6 missing in cyclone ‘Komen’

At least six people have been killed and six missing in Cox’s Bazar, Patuakhali and Bhola, coastal areas of Bangladesh, with cyclone ‘Komen’ poised over the bay to make landfall.

A control room set up by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief confirmed the deaths to The Daily Star this afternoon.

“We have learned about the death of four people including a five-year-old child in Cox’s Bazar thus far,” said Shahina Sultana, in-charge of the control room.

The child was killed when a wall collapsed in Moheshkhali island this morning. Two others died in a boat capsize along the Maheshkhali channel due to the storm.

Md Islam, 50, died after he was hit by a coconut tree at St Martain’s Island around 4:00am, according to the official and Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shah Mujahid Uddin.

In Patuakhali, Md Noor Islam, 52, a farmer of Kalyan Kalas village, was killed as a roadside tree fell on him around 12:30pm, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Confirming the death, Md Nazrul Islam, acting deputy commissioner of the district told The Daily Star that the farmer was returning home from a nearby field.

Meanwhile, a total of 331 cyclone shelters in all eight upazilas of the district have been opened so that people from remote areas could take shelter during the storm, Nazrul added.

Additionally, a total of 2,59,700 people have been temporarily relocated in 288 cyclone shelters in Cox’s Bazar until the filing of this report around 2:00pm.

Six fishermen from Ukhiya upazila went missing in the Bay last evening.

The fishermen -- Manjur Alom, 30, Abul Hossain, 35, Ershadul Alom, 25, Ahmad Kabir, 32, Mahmudul Huq, 35, and Habibur Rahman, 40, -- were residents of Sonapara village of the upazila, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reports quoting Manjur Alom, owner of the fishing boat.

Jahirul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC), of Ukhiya Police Station said he heard about the incident. 

Monjuma Khatun, 55, wife of Sohorab Hossain under Lalmohan upazila of Bhola died after a tree fell upon her around 11:30am this morning, our local correspondent reports quoting Md Zakir Hossain, UNO of the upazila.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department has termed the cyclone moderate, as customary to cyclones in monsoon, and said it is unlikely to switch gear and turn menancing.