Cyclone Mocha: Deadly storm hits Myanmar and Bangladesh coasts causing significant damage 

A category-five equivalent cyclone has ravaged the coastlines of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Cyclone Mocha spared the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp but caused significant damage to numerous makeshift shelters. In Myanmar, the capital city of Sittwe in Rakhine state was reported to be 90% destroyed, with severe impacts on houses, power lines, and camps for displaced Rohingya.

Tragically, at least six fatalities have been confirmed in Myanmar, including a 14-year-old boy who was killed by a falling tree. The devastation disrupted electricity and wireless connections across Sittwe, with visuals capturing roofs being blown off houses, telecom towers collapsing, and billboards flying amidst heavy rainfall.

In response to the catastrophe, authorities declared Rakhine state a natural disaster area, emphasising the urgent need for a major emergency response. As the cyclone subsided by late Sunday, Bangladesh’s disaster official noted that the cyclone had caused minimal major damage but warned of ongoing risks such as landslides and floods. No casualties have been reported in Bangladesh thus far.