Bangladesh and Myanmar were on the brink of collapse on Sunday as a powerful storm battered coastal areas and authorities urged thousands of people in both countries to seek shelter.
The outermost band of Hurricane Mocha, with sustained winds of 180-190 km/h (112-118 mph) and gusts of 210 km/h (130 mph), was expected on Sunday. Arrived at the coast of Rakhine state of Myanmar in the morning. By noon, the center of the storm was expected to make landfall near Sittwe township, which was under the highest weather warning, Myanmar's meteorological department said on Sunday.
As of Friday, more than 4,000 of Sittwe's 300,000 residents have been relocated to other towns and more than 20,000 are sheltering in fortified buildings such as monasteries, pagodas, and schools on the heights of the city, Tin Nyen Oo said.
He added that many local people live in areas more than 3 meters above sea level, where residents believe the storm cannot reach.
"The typhoon has not yet entered, so we are not facing much difficulty. However, there are too many people in the shelters and not enough toilets," he added.
Lin Lin, chairman of a local charity foundation, said earlier than expected, shelters in Sittwe did not have enough food after more people arrived than expected.
Several deaths were reported in Myanmar on Sunday morning due to the storm and rain. A rescue team from the country's eastern Shan State announced on their Facebook social media page that they have recovered the bodies of a couple who were buried in a landslide in Tchilek township due to heavy rains. They were pressed on the house. Local media reported that a man was crushed to death by a falling banyan tree in Payne O Luen township in the central Mandalay region. In Sittwe, a cell phone tower collapsed under strong winds and damaged other buildings, local media reported.
The weather remained sunny and humid in most parts of Bangladesh on Sunday morning.
