Vast swathes of the southern coastal region lay swamped by Sunday afternoon as the frontal part of severe cyclonic storm Remal started making landfall, dragging the ocean along, raising all coastal rivers above their danger marks, and causing light rain.
People started streaming into cyclone shelters after nightfall, as the wind grew stronger and rain heavier by the hours, giving rise to a deep sense of fear with the centre of the storm moving onto land.
A man was washed away as he had gone to rescue his relatives on an island in Patuakhali, which, like many places along the coast, was completely overtaken by the ocean by 1:00pm, leaving its entire population stranded and washing away fish enclosures.
Reports of the ocean breaching coastal embankments or overtopping them in Barguna, Khulna, and Bhola districts were officially confirmed in the afternoon, displaying the extent of the strength with which the first cyclonic storm of the year hit the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Video clips of people wading through water rising to their chests in coastal areas such as Bhola and Hatiya reminded many of the terrifying experience of cyclone Aila, which made a mess of coastal embankments exactly 15 years ago on May 25.聽
The Sundarbans yet again served as a protection shield against the storm standing in its way. The mangrove forest had gone under at least five feet of water by afternoon, with many forest officials stranded in their offices.聽
鈥楾he eye of the storm is moving onto land right now,鈥� said meteorologist Monowar Hossain at 7:30pm.
鈥楾he storm is huge, covering almost the entire Bay of Bengal,鈥� he said, adding that the rest of the storm might take well beyond midnight to move onto land.
Until 7:00pm, according to the BMD, the strongest wind of over 133kmph was recorded in Patuakhali. Dhaka recorded 52kmph wind and Mongla 105kmph wind.
The storm continued to rage amid forecasts that it聽 would continue to batter the impoverished coastal line for hours into the night and bring heavy to extremely heavy rains over the next three days.
The storm forced authorities to suspend operations at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, Chattogram Sea Port, and close down the underwater expressway tunnel in Chattogram on Sunday.
Movement through inland river water routes has remained suspended since Saturday night, while educational institution premises were opened to people fleeing the cyclone for safety.
Flights on Dhaka-Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Dhaka-Kolkata, and Dhaka-Barishal routes were also suspended.
鈥榃e urge everyone vulnerable to the storm to seek shelter. The storm is expected to bring copious amounts of rainfall, enough to trigger landslides in many places,鈥� said Mohibur Rahman, state minister for disaster management and relief, at a press conference in the afternoon.
The control room opened at the disaster management and relief ministry confirmed the evacuation of 198,809 people, including 85,591 women and 34,491 children, in 15 coastal districts until 7:15pm.
The highest number of 40,340 people sought shelter in Patuakhali alone.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Patuakhali reported that Shariful Islam, 24, was washed away when he went to Kawarchar of Dhulasar union in Kalapara to rescue his mother-in-law and sister. The char was under five to seven feet of water when Sharif reached there.
At least 10,000 people saw their houses go under water after rivers in the district flowed above their danger marks. Several neighbourhoods in Chalitabuniya and Char Montaj in Rangabali were also flooded.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Satkhira reported that the rivers in the district flowed three feet above their danger marks on Sunday morning and afternoon.
An old man named Shawkat Morol, 65 died on his way to a cyclone shelter at Napitkhali of Gabura in Shyamnagar in the evening.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Cox鈥檚 Bazar reported that parts of Moheshkhali municipality went under water after parts of an embankment were washed away by the raging sea.
鈥業 was grazing my cattle in the field when I spotted water gushing through the embankment soon after the noon,鈥� said Abu Bakar Siddiq, a resident of Char Para, Moheshkhali, who immediately took shelter at a cyclone shelter.
In Cox鈥檚 Bazar, 9,722 people took shelter until 8:30pm across the district. The number of people seeking shelter increased rapidly after nightfall as the wind became stronger and the rain heavier by the hours.
Earlier on Sunday, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department raised its cyclone warning to the great danger signal number 10 for the maritime ports of Payra and Mongla.
The coastal districts of Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Jhalakati, Barguna, Barishal, Bhola, and Patuakhali were also put under signal number 10.
The maritime ports of Cox鈥檚 Bazar and Chattogram were put under danger signal number nine. The coastal districts of Chattogram, Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, and Chandpur were put under signal number nine.
Riverside areas of the coastal districts were put under signal number four.
The BMD also warned in its special weather bulletin issued at 2:00pm that the 15 coastal districts might be swept by an 8 to 15-foot tidal surge under the influence of the storm.
The BMD also issued a landslide warning for Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachari, Rangamati, and Chattogram.
In the weather bulletin issued at 8:00pm, the BMD said that the eye of the storm was crossing the West Bengal-Khepupara coast near the southwest of Mongla. The whole system might take up to seven hours to move onto land.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board鈥檚 Bagerhat office reported in the afternoon that the rivers in the district were flowing above the danger marks, with the highest level of rise recorded in the river Pashur.
A boat capsized in Mongla in the afternoon with scores of workers from a factory in the local EPZ who were reportedly forced by their employer to join work amid the great danger signal number 10.
There were, however, no immediate reports of casualties in the boat capsize.
As the storm raged, three divisions in Bangladesh鈥擱angpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet鈥攇ot baked in a mild heatwave. The districts of Tangail, Kishoreganj, and Bogura were also swept by the heatwave.
Bangladesh鈥檚 highest maximum day air temperature of 37.5C was recorded in Netrakona and Sylhet.
The BMD predicted the temperature to drop by up to 5C today.