Mocha is the most powerful cyclone to hit Bangladesh since 2007 and is likely to affect more than 2 million people directly in its path.Cyclone Mocha hit the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday.

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It is the most powerful cyclone to hit the region in more than 15 years.

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Packing winds of up to 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles), equivalent to a category 5 hurricane, the cyclone forced authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people to shelters.

"It is now crossing Cox's Bazar-North Myanmar coast. It (is) likely to move north-northeasterly direction and complete crossing Cox's Bazar-North Myanmar coast near Sittwe by afternoon," the Bangladesh meteorological department said.

It said the storm was uprooting trees and bringing heavy rain along the coast at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

The cyclone was expected to affect more than 2 million people in its direct path.

In Bangladesh, authorities issued the highest danger alert for Cox's Bazar, which is home to more than a million Rohingya refugees living in flimsy shelters.

Authorities also warned that heavy rains could trigger landslides and cause severe damage in eight coastal districts of Bangladesh.

Relief workers brace for Mocha

Since Friday, more than 4,000 residents of Sittwe township in Myanmar have been evacuated and more than 20,000 people have been moved to shelters, including monasteries, pagodas and schools, said Tin Nyein Oo, a relief worker in Sittwe.

"The storm has not yet entered, so we don't have much difficulty. However, there are too many people in the shelters and not enough toilets," he added.

More than 300,000 people have been shifted to safer locations in Bangladesh. "Saving lives is our main priority," said local disaster relief official Mijanur Rahman.

More than 1,500 cyclone shelters have been prepared in Bangladesh. Aid workers have also stored tons of dry food and prepared dozens of ambulances for refugee camps.

mf/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2023 02:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).