by Staff Correspondent,

Dhaka – The tropical cyclone Mocha has pounded the coast of south-eastern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar as hundreds of thousands of coastal residents were taken to safety, officials said on Sunday.

Bangladesh’s Meteoroidal department said the storm in the Bay of Bengal started crossing the coast in the noontime and will complete its landfall by the evening.

The center of the “very severe cyclonic storm” Mocha is likely to cross Cox’s Bazar-North Myanmar coast by 3pm today, Dhaka met office said in its latest special weather bulletin.

The storm system, currently having wind speed between 160 kilometers and 180 kilometers per hour, will complete crossing the coast near Sittwe in Myanmar by this evening, it added.

The storm accompanied heavy rain as it approached towards the coast and the sea remained very high near the storm center.

The cyclone over the East Central Bay and adjoining area moved north-northeastwards, intensified over the Northeast Bay and adjoining area and was centred at noon today about 285 km south of Chattogram Port, 200 km south of Cox’s Bazar Port, 445 km south-southeast of Mongla Port and 345 km south-Southeast of Payra Port, according to the bulletin.

Bangladesh has taken elaborate preparedness as the cyclone formed in the Bay of Bengal to ensued safety of its coastal residents from impending danger. Nearly 300,000 residents were taken to the shelters. It advised maritime ports and fishing boats not to venture in the bay until further notice.

The coastal district of Cox’s Bazar and its offshore islands I slikely to experience tidal surge of more than 2 meters, the met office said adding very heavy rainfall may cause landslides at some places over the hilly regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Chattogram.

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