DHAKA: Bangladesh on Monday evacuated over 2.19 lakh people to safety as cyclone Sitrang approached the nation's southwestern coastlines and is expected to make a landfall around midnight, according to a senior official from the ministry of Disaster Management.
Mohammmad Moniruzzaman, the spokesperson of the Disaster Management Ministry, said that Bangladeshi authorities have kept ready 6,925 cyclone centers expecting the last person exposed to cyclone dangers to take refuge there.
" At least 219,990 people have been taken to cyclone centers in 15 coastal districts by 5 pm on Monday,"Moniruzzaman told PTI.
Moniruzzaman's comments came as southwestern coastal districts already started witnessing the impacts of the cyclone's tip while incessant rains gripped most parts of the country, including Dhaka.
The met office, meanwhile, said the epicenter of the cyclone advanced further and was located 170 kilometres south-southwest off Payra Seaport, 220 km south-southwest off Mongla seaport, 275 km southwest off Chattogram and 240 km off Cox's Bazar seaport.
"The cyclone has been approaching towards the coastline faster than its previous pace with wind speed at its core being 80 to 90 kilometres per hour it may hit the coastline in Barishal region by Monday midnight," Monwar Hossain, a meteorologist, said.
The meteorology department in its latest directive issued on Monday evening asked the seaports of Payra, Mongla and Chattogram to hoist danger signal no 7 and advised the Cox's Bazar seaport to maintain the danger signal no 6 in a scale of 10.
The met office warned that southwestern Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna and Jhalakathi were likely to be exposed worst brunt of the storm while the Red Crescent Society alongside the government agencies mobilised tens of thousands of volunteers.
Reports and TV footages showed the volunteers using megaphones to alert people and ask them to evacuate.
The met office, however, does not fear the cyclone to cause any very serious damage once it make the landfall while a meteorologist earlier said it might turn to a be severe cyclone, not a super cyclone.
But, they said, the cyclone coincided with new moon to inflate the waters and heighten the tidal surges.