Cyclone Sands cuts off electricity to millions in India and Bangladesh

<p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr">Arab Weather - The coastal areas of Bangladesh and India were exposed to strong winds and heavy rains with the powerful <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B5%... “Smal”</a> making landfall late on Sunday evening, which led to a power outage for millions as a result of strong winds toppling electricity poles and uprooting some trees.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The Indian Meteorological Department reported that the storm crossed coastal areas such as the port of Mongla in Bangladesh and the Sagar Islands in the Indian state of West Bengal, where wind speeds reached 135 kilometers per hour.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Indian police reported that a person died in the city of Kolkata when pieces of concrete fell on him during the height of the storm, and the thatched roofs of huts were blown off and mud houses were leveled to the ground in the coastal areas of the two countries. The authorities in both countries are waiting to verify the full extent of the losses before announcing them.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Low-lying coastal areas in South Asia, in both Bangladesh and India, have experienced frequent strong storms in recent years due to rising sea surface temperatures as a result of climate change. &quot;Sand&quot; is the first hurricane to hit the region this year.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> See also:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D8%A2%D8%AE%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84... developments | Monitoring the development of the first tropical storm in the Bay of Bengal with a name suggested by the Sultanate of Oman (Sand) and threatening India and Bangladesh with torrential rains and strong winds.</a> </p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560" style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><p lang="ar" style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> At least 13 people have been killed and millions left without power in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sands, the first tropical storm of the season, battered the country and neighboring India after weeks of sweltering heat. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneRemal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etf... /> <a href="https://t.co/1uhq0VToIP">pic.twitter.com/1uhq0VToIP</a></p> - World_Weather (@Arab_Storms) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arab_Storms/status/1795390364032872939?ref_src=twsrc... 28, 2024</a> </blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Cyclone Sands disrupts air and sea traffic in Bangladesh and India</h2><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Bangladesh has evacuated about 800,000 people from Mongla, Chittagong and nine other coastal districts to shelters since Sunday morning, and up to 110,000 people have been transferred to shelters in India.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Dhaka prepared about eight thousand hurricane shelters and mobilized 78 thousand volunteers in preparation for the storm, while the Indian Navy stated that it kept ships, planes, divers and medical supplies ready to intervene if the need arises.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The authorities canceled more than 50 international and domestic flights in Kolkata, where operations were suspended as of Sunday afternoon. Bangladesh also suspended operations at the ports of Mongla and Chittagong.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> See also:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B5%... Storm (Sand) intensifies before entering land tonight and Monday morning, affecting India and Bangladesh with huge amounts of rain.</a></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D8%A7... of Bengal | Stormy winds exceeding 120 km/h and waves reaching more than 5 metres, while tropical storm sand is intensifying over Bangladesh.</a></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><hr /><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Sources:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.alarabiya.net/aswaq/oil-and-gas/2024/05/27/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A...