About 500,000 people are being moved to safer areas in southeastern Bangladesh. They are being moved ahead of a storm that is said to be extremely dangerous.
Cyclone Mocha in the Bay of Bengal is forecast to make landfall on Sunday. Winds of 170 kilometers per hour and storm surges of up to 12 feet are said to have occurred.
There are fears the storm could affect the world’s largest refugee camp, Camp Cox’s Bazar, where nearly a million people live in makeshift homes.
As the storm moves towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast, nearby airports have been closed, fishermen have been asked to suspend their work, and 1,500 shelters have been set up to protect against danger. The process of relocating people from affected areas has been started.
Officials in Cox’s Bazar said 1,000 people have already been evacuated from one area, with plans to evacuate another 8,000 from a ward near the coast if the situation worsens.
