At least 41 people were killed in Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar's Rakhine state, AFP cited local leaders.

Moreover, Myanmar authorities expect the death toll to rise significantly in the coming days. Karlo, the administrator of Bu Ma village said: "There will be more deaths, as more than a hundred people are missing."

About 300,000 people were evacuated from some villages and regions in Myanmar and Bangladesh as Cyclone Mocha was still gearing up.

The cyclone left around 90 percent of the western Rakhine state's capital city Sittwe destroyed, residents and witnesses said.

Meanwhile, authorities expected that Cyclone Mocha will make landfall at the sprawling refugee camp in Cox's Bazar but it didn't.

Union Prime Minister of the National Unity Government Mahn Winn Khine Thann expressed his sympathy with the people killed in Cyclone Mocha. He said: "My heart goes out to our people who are already enduring the hardships of a military coup and now facing the devastating impact of Super Cyclone Mocha."

Wind speed in the cyclone reached 120 mph causing a dire situation, the official said.

Source: Al Bawaba News

BDST: 1336 HRS, MAY 16, 2023
MN