Launches start plying, flights resume

Stopped indefinitely for the bad weather under influence of cyclone Mora, launches have started operation across Bangladesh as the storm is weakening.

Primarily, big launches have been cleared for operation from 2:30pm today, said Joynal Abedin, joint director for Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.

The ‘severe cyclonic storm’, that prompted the highest alert in the Chittagong coastal belt, caused five deaths so far and some amount of damage – not as much as feared initially.

The Met office has brought down the danger signal to 3 in Chittagong belt and said the weather is likely to improve further and the cyclone will reduce down to a depression tomorrow.

Elsewhere, the danger signal no. 7 was lowered and a cautionary signal no. 2 was hoisted.

Meanwhile, the Shah Amanat International Airport at Chittagong resumed its operation from 2:00pm, airport’s Manager Wing Commander Reazul Kabir told our local staff correspondent.

Though no flights have taken off or arrived, the airport is ready to land three inbound aircrafts within the next few hours, according to the manager.

Alert at Chittagong port withdrawn

The highest security alert at Chittagong port has been withdrawn, said Chittagong Port Authority’s Secretary Md Omar Faruk. “A meeting will be held to decide when activities will resume.”