Nearly 1,500 leave St Martin for shelter as Cyclone 'Mocha' approaches

As the cyclonic storm "Mocha" intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and will soon hit Banglades's coastal areas soon, residents of Saint Martin, the only coral island in the country, have begun leaving the island and coming to Teknaf.

The frightened people of the island are travelling to Teknaf via trawlers.

About 1,500 people from at least 200 families from the island were reported to have arrived in Teknaf by Friday (11 May) afternoon.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kamruzzaman said that it is not possible to tell the exact number of people who left the island and came to Teknaf.

"The people of the island tend to go to the homes of their relatives in Teknaf when the weather is bad," he added. 

He said, there is no reason to panic. 17 shelters have been prepared on the island.

"Navy, Coast Guard, BGB, Police, Public Representatives, and volunteers are working together to help people in these shelters," he further said.

Khorshed Alam, a representative of the island, said that the shops on the island are closed. Schools, hotels and resorts have been declared shelters by the administration. 

Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate Abu Sufian said that the administration is very vigilant about the safety of people. In particular, all kinds of measures have been taken to save the lives of people on the island of Saint Martin. 

Meanwhile, the situation in Cox's Bazar has not changed much due to the cyclone. Although the sky is overcast since Friday morning, there is clear sunshine and a scorching heat has been persisting since midday.