Violent tropical storm kills 23 in BangladeshOctober 12, 2012 - 13:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A violent tropical storm pounded coastal districts in southeast Bangladesh Thursday, Oct 11 killing at least 23 people, police and local administrators said, according to CNN. More than 1,000 fishermen who were fishing in the deep sea were still missing, the officials said. Communications have been severely disrupted in the districts. Small islands of southeast Noakhali district, some 200 kilometers from capital, Dhaka, were the worst affected areas, and at least 16 people were killed there, a district administrative chief, Mohammad Sirajul Islam, said. Local administrators and the meteorological department said the storm ripped through at least three coastal districts, damaging hundreds of houses, most of them made of wood and tin, and uprooting thousands of trees. Thousands of homeless people took refuge at schools and cyclone shelters, officials said. The storm also devastated crops, mostly rice, in a vast swath of land, they said. Mustafizur Rahman, the administrative chief of Bhola, another affected district, said people there had recovered three bodies and many of the missing fishermen had started returning from the sea. "We're immediately giving food relief to the homeless people," he said. The state-controlled news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that four more people were killed in Sandwip and Mirsarai of southeast Chittagong district. The fishermen complained that the local administrators had failed to take precautionary steps, leading to the deaths and property damage. The weather office forecast heavy rain in the coastal areas and advised the fishermen to stay close to safety, but there was no warning for a major storm. Hours of incessant rain inundated many low-lying areas, officials said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |