DHAKA: Bangladesh rescue workers found the bodies of four missing crew of a dredger boat, taking the death toll from Cyclone Sitrang to 28 as millions remained without power, officials said on Wednesday (Oct 26).

Cyclones – the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific – are a regular menace in the region but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent.
Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh on Monday but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster storm hit.

With winds of 80kmh, it still left a trail of devastation in the country’s densely populated, low-lying coastal region, which is home to tens of millions of people.

The government said nearly 10,000 tin-roofed homes were either “destroyed or damaged” and crops on large swathes of farmland were wrecked at a time of record-high food inflation.

Fire department divers found the bodies of four crew of a dredger boat that sank during the storm in the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladesh is a delta nation of more than 160 million people and is prone to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones.

Climate scientists say climate change is a factor behind many natural disasters in Bangladesh and other South Asian nations. ( Agencies)