India and Bangladesh: More than 450,000 people flee from cyclone

More than 450,000 people have fled the threatening cyclone "Bulbul" in the coastal regions of Bangladesh and India. The storm is said to hit land with wind speeds up to 120 miles per hour in the border region of the two states in the Bay of Bengal, according to meteorologists. The Meteorological Institute of Bangladesh predicted a storm surge of up to two meters.

About 400,000 people in western Bangladesh and about 60,000 in eastern India were affected by the evacuations. Government officials and around 55,000 volunteers helped with the evacuation in Bangladesh. They went from house to house in coastal villages and on islands to warn the population of the danger of the cyclone.

On the holiday island of St. Martin in the south of Bangladesh, about 1,500 tourists were stranded because the ferry service was canceled because of bad weather. Ports were closed for safety reasons, the boat traffic stopped and flights canceled.

On the Indian island of Mousuni, people sought refuge in schools and government buildings. They could not leave the cyclone-endangered region in time.

Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP

Villagers crowd in front of a shelter in India

Chaotic conditions in eastern India

In the state of Odisha in eastern India, storms with wind speeds up to 110 kilometers per hour and heavy rains have already caused chaotic conditions. Uprooted trees blocked many roads there.

In the coastal section between India and Bangladesh, where the cyclone is to hit land, there is the largest mangrove forest in the world. Endangered species such as the Bengal tiger live in the area.

The low-lying coastal region of Bangladesh is home to some 30 million people. The area is regularly hit by cyclones that leave a trail of destruction. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in hurricanes in recent decades.

Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of cyclones have increased. However, the number of fatalities has fallen due to faster evacuation measures and the construction of some 4,000 cyclone shelters along the coast.