B4U India: Bangladesh port reopens as killer cyclone subsides

Bangladesh port reopens as killer cyclone subsides
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reuters india on 16 November, 2007 10:19:00
 
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Operations at Bangladesh's main Chittagong
port have resumed after a suspension lasting nearly 48 hours on Friday as a
deadly cyclone subsided in the Bay of Bengal, officials said.
Thirteen foreign ships were stranded since operations were suspended late on
Wednesday due to an approaching Category 4 cyclone.
"We have advised normal operations at the port as the storm crossed the coast
overnight," said a senior official of Chittagong port, which handles 80 percent
of external trade.
Dhaka's Zia International Airport reopened after 20 hours of closure as the
cyclone moved towards Assam in India and subsided into a tropical storm.
The cyclone, packing winds up to 250 kph, hit Bangladesh's coastal belt late on
Thursday, killing more than 250 people and triggering a 5-metre high water surge
that devastated three coastal towns with a combined population of 700,000.
Officials said the death toll would rise as the search for more bodies
continued.