Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Suspect in killing of general claims he was paid by Ukraine    North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    400-800 year old giant coral colony discovered within AMAALA waters in the Red Sea    Makkah police arrest Yemeni and Egyptian suspects of fake Hajj campaign    Kafalah grants 1,900 loan guarantees worth over SR4.8 billion to SMEs during 1Q 2025    Council of Senior Scholars reaffirms performing Hajj without a permit is a sinful act    HR Ministry launches 'Ajeer Al-Hajj' service for seasonal work during Hajj 2025    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Cyclone Mocha: Myanmar's Rakhine state declared disaster area
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 15 - 05 - 2023

Myanmar's military leaders have declared Rakhine state a national disaster area after Cyclone Mocha hit on Sunday, killing at least six people.
The cyclone was one of the strongest this century to hit the Bay of Bengal, lashing Myanmar and Bangladesh.
It did not make landfall at the world's largest refugee camp at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, despite earlier fears.
However, the category five storm pummelled Myanmar's coast, destroying hundreds of homes and shelters.
Heavy rains, strong winds and a storm surge were recorded across the low-lying Rakhine area, particularly in around the state capital Sittwe.
Locals told the BBC there was destruction across 90% of the city. Communication lines are also down after winds of up to 209kmh (130mph) knocked down poles and trees.
The storm has also destroyed camps for displaced Rohingya people. Rakhine, in Myanmar's west, has been the scene of sustained ethnic conflict for years.
Cyclone Mocha crossed the coast between Kyaukpyu township in Myanmar and Cox's Bazar around midday on Sunday local time.
The UN's humanitarian assistance office said the "ongoing wild weather" and telecommunications interruptions meant it had not yet been able to assess the disaster's full magnitude.
"But early reports suggest the damage is extensive and needs among already vulnerable communities, particularly displaced people, will be high," the latest UN statement read.
The six deaths reported so far were from Sittwe, authorities said. Local media reported a 14-year-old boy was among the dead, killed by a fallen tree.
Pictures and videos from the area showed roofs being blown off houses, telecom towers toppled and billboards crashing off buildings.
In neighboring Bangladesh, officials said the cyclone had not caused "major damage" although it did trigger landslides and floods. No deaths have been reported from the country so far.
In the lead-up to the storm's arrival, more than 750,000 people had evacuated villages closest to the shoreline.
Further inland, people crammed into whatever shelter they could find as the sky darkened and the rain pounded down.
Locals packed into a school which had been turned into a cyclone shelter. Mothers with their babies, young children and the elderly, sought space to rest - sleeping on desks and resting under them.
Many also arrived at shelters on rickshaws and on foot - bringing cattle, chickens and other livestock from their seaside villages two hours away.
"I didn't want to leave my house," said Sumi Akter who lives on a riverbank.
But she told the BBC she had lived through other cyclones in recent years - and was resigned to a now familiar pattern of leaving her home to the mercy of nature.
Scientists say storms such as cyclones have become stronger and more frequent due to climate change. The UN said Cyclone Mocha was "one of the strong cyclones on record" for Myanmar.
Meanwhile, in the camp in Cox's Bazar, Rohingyas who fled Myanmar in recent years hunkered down in flimsy shelters. Bangladesh's government prevents Rohingya refugees from leaving the camps and from building more permanent structures.
Authorities told the BBC more than 1,300 shelters there had been damaged by the wind, along with16 mosques and learning centres. The storm had felled trees and caused landslides.
Mizanur Rahman, a spokesman of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, said so far he was not aware of any casualties in the camps.
In 2008, Cyclone Nargis tore through the southern coastal regions of Myanmar, killing almost 140,000 people and affecting communities of millions living along the Irrawaddy Delta. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.