Hundreds of thousands evacuated as cyclone hits Bangladesh, Bengal

SUMMARY

A strong cyclone made landfall early Sunday in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of people have moved to shelters across the low-lying delta nation's vast coastal region. Authorities in Bangladesh put more than 50,000 volunteers on standby and readied about 5000 shelters as a strong cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is expected to hit the low-lying nation's vast southwestern and southern coast on Saturday evening.

By APNov 10, 2019 2:27:14 PM IST (Published)

People walk in the rain in Kolkata. Authorities in nearby Bangladesh put more than 50,000 volunteers on standby and readied about 5000 shelters as a strong cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is expected to hit the low-lying nation's vast southwestern and southern coast on Saturday evening. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Mechanized boats and ferries stand moored at an empty jetty as ferry services were suspended due to cyclonic storm, on the Hooghly River in Kolkata. Packing winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 130 kph (80 mph), Cyclone Bulbul weakened when it started crossing Bangladesh's southwestern coastal region, dumping incessant rains across the country. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Up to 1.8 million people were expected to be evacuated by Saturday evening, said Enamur Rahman, Bangladesh's junior disaster management minister. More than 5,000 shelters had been prepared. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Pedestrians use umbrellas to shield themselves from the wind and rain. The storm is also expected to impact parts of northeastern India, where precautions were being taken. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Bangladesh, a nation of 16 crore people, has a history of violent cyclones. But disaster preparedness programs in recent decades have upgraded the country's capacity to deal with natural disasters, resulting in fewer casualties. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)