The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Cyclone Reshmi lashed country's coast, killing at least 15 people and injuring 200 more and caused damages of crops of 2.8 lakh hectares in southern region.

The storm, spawned by a depression in the Bay of Bengal, struck late Monday, inundating hundreds of villages, levelling several thousand huts and knocking down electricity poles, officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

At least 10 bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed houses in Barisal district, a hard-hit area 75 miles south of the capital, Dhaka, they said. Another five people drowned in neighbouring Patuakhali district.

Some 200 villagers were injured and many were taken to hospitals, they said.

The officials said rescue workers were trying to reach people with drinking water and food.

Our Barisal Correspondent adds: Different types of crops were fully and partially destroyed and damaged on 2.28 lakhs hectares land worth Tk. 1,000 cores by cyclone Reshmi, in 11 districts under Barisal Agriculture Region.

Barisal Regional Agriculture Extension office sources said field level workers of the department are now busy about assessment of the damages and giving advice to the farmers.

These affected crops include Ropa Aman, Bona Aman, Boro seed beds and winter vegetables.

Cultivation of Aman paddy, the main crop of the southern region, was done on 8.32 lakh hectares, and other varieties of crops on 0.53 laks hectares in 11 districts under Barisal Agricultural region. These districts are Barisal, Jhalakati, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola, six districts of Barisal division and Faridpur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Rajbari and Madaripur.

Crops on more than 1.79 lakh hactres of land suffered damages with 0.25 lakh hactres fully damaged by cyclone Reshmi in six districts of Barisal division.

Crops on more than 200 hectares of land in the most affected areas situated under Pirojpur and Jhalakati districts were destroyed fully and crops damage on 25,046 hectares of lands.

Cyclone Reshmi affected crops on about 0.24 lakh hectares of land including 0.6 lakh hectares were fully destroyed and .18 lakh hectares were partially damaged out of 1.35 lakhs hectare of cultivated lands in the other five districts of greater Faridpur region.

Ninety percent of the total crops were fully affected in 11 districts by cyclone Reshmi in the Barisal division.

AED officials said a short shower is immediately needed to wash away the sand and mud deposited on some varieties of crops including under blooming Aman and winter vegetables.