Yangon [Myanmar], May 15:At least three people were killed and more than 20,000 evacuated to monasteries, schools and other cities when Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar.
The cyclone was accompanied by winds of 209 kilometers per hour that took the roofs off buildings in Rakhine State, Myanmar meteorologists said.
Earlier, the storm passed over the island of St. Martin in Bangladesh, causing material damage and injuries.
Myanmar's military information office said the storm damaged houses, power lines, cell phone antennas, boats and street lights in the towns of Sittwe, Kyaukpyu and Gwa.
The statement said the storm also tore roofs off sports halls in the Cocos Islands, about 425 kilometers southwest of the country's largest city, Yangon.
Media in Rakhine state reported that low-lying areas were flooded and many people were trapped in their homes.
Communication was also disabled because telephone and internet connections were cut.
More than 4,000 residents of Sittwe have been evacuated to other towns, and more than 20,000 people have been sheltered in monasteries and schools in higher areas, a volunteer said.
The president of the local charity Lin Lin said earlier that there was not enough food in the shelters in Sittwe because more people had arrived than expected.
The representative of the United Nations Development Program in Myanmar, TitonMitra, wrote on Twitter that two million people are at risk.
"Damage and losses are expected to be extensive. We are ready to respond and will need unimpeded access to all affected communities," he wrote.
The storm is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the US Typhoon Warning Center said.
Source: Beta News Agency