Cyclone Amphan: 53 lakh without electricity

Approximately 53 lakh consumers in different districts are now out of electricity coverage as Cyclone Amphan lashes coastal areas of the country.

Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) Chairman Major General Moin Uddin (Retd) said 50 lakh customers of BREB in Khulna, Bagherhat, Sathkhira, Barishal, Patukhali, Pirojpur Laxmipur, Jashore, Barguna and Naokhali districts are out of electricity coverage in the wake of Cyclone Amphan.

Many of these customers living along coastal areas are without electricity coverage since Wednesday evening, he told The Daily Star.

"We already started the repairing tasks in many places. But we are facing problems in repair work at Sathkhira and Khulna due to the weather. We will be able to estimate the damage after four or five hours," he said.

Apart from this, about 3 lakh customers of the West Zone Power Distribution Company in Barishal division -- including Barishal city -- are now out of power, said the company's executive engineer Amullo Kumar Sarkar.

Cyclone Amphan made landfall in Sagar Island of West Bengal and started crossing the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast around 4:00pm, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.