Dhaka: According to sources on the ground and in neighbouring Bangladesh, severe casualties are anticipated in western Myanmar after Cyclone Mocha hit the region over the weekend, while UN reports indicate severe destruction throughout the entire region.
On Sunday afternoon, the extremely dangerous Cyclone Mocha made landfall. One of the most powerful cyclones to ever make landfall in the Bay of Bengal. The storm struck neighbouring Rakhine State in Myanmar, even though the damaging winds, which were predicted to reach 250 km/h, missed the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar.
On Tuesday, Rakhine's cellular and internet networks were still largely down due to extensive damage to communication towers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' initial reports stated that there was "widespread destruction," particularly in the state's capital, Sittwe, where "few houses have escaped damage."
OCHA shared video that showed bridges that had been destroyed, uprooted trees, and demolished infrastructure. Only three deaths were reported by Myanmar's state media on Monday, but reports posted on social media by activists connected to the country's exiled government gave much higher numbers—hundreds of deaths.
Officials from the Myanmar Embassy in Dhaka could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
Arab News was unable to independently verify the death toll, but a local source provided figures that were comparable to activists' estimates. Mohammad Karim, a Sittwe resident and teacher who was looking for survivors, told me over the phone that "over 400 dead bodies" had been found floating in the water. He stated to Arab News, "We are still looking. "Over 200 more people are still missing."
In Rakhine, a Muslim minority population of over a million Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since 2017 in order to avoid a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military.
A Rohingya activist named Mohammed Rezuwan Khan, who resides in Cox's Bazar, has been unable to contact his relatives who are still in Sittwe. We were unable to contact any members of that family since Cyclone Mocha made landfall there on Sunday. For the past three days, I have tried numerous times to establish the call, but I have been unsuccessful," he told Arab News.
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"I'm not sure what happened to the family of my aunt Rahima Khatun. There, she has been residing with my four cousins. I'm pleading with God to keep them secure