Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar and Bangladesh on Sunday, causing 145 deaths in Myanmar, according to the country’s junta. Most of those killed were from the Rohingya minority group, who live in displacement camps in Rakhine state. The storm caused buildings to collapse, uprooted trees and knocked out communications. Rohingya people are denied citizenship and access to healthcare in Myanmar and are required to have permission to travel outside their townships. A Rohingya village leader reported that over 100 people were missing from his village. The junta denies reports that 400 Rohingya people died and has arrested journalists who have criticised its rule.
Naval ships and the air force have brought in thousands of bags of rice, and thousands of electricians, firefighters and rescue workers are working in Rakhine state. Flights have resumed at Sittwe airport. Some international aid groups, including the United Nations World Food Programme, are working on the ground in Sittwe. The military staged a coup in Myanmar over two years ago and has arrested scores of journalists and closed outlets that it deems critical.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, no deaths were reported from the cyclone, which passed close to Rohingya refugee camps. Cyclones are a regular and deadly threat on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean, where millions of people live. Cyclone Nargis killed over 138,000 people in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, and a previous junta regime was criticised for its response to that disaster.
