From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Daulatpur-Saturia Tornado |
|
Dhaka, the
area hit by the tornado |
| Date: |
April 26, 1989 |
| Time: |
18:00 local time |
| Rating: |
Unknown
tornado |
| Damages: |
Unknown |
| Fatalities: |
1,300 (est.) |
| Area affected: |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
The Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh Tornado was
an extremely destructive tornado that occurred in the Manikganj
District, Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, and was the
costliest and deadliest tornado in recorded Bangladesh history.
There is a great deal of uncertainty about the death toll, but
typical estimates indicate that it killed around 1,300 people,
which would make it the deadliest tornado
in recorded world history.[1]
The tornado affected the cities of Daulatpur and Saturia the most, moving east through Daulatpur
and eventually northeast and into Saturia.[1]
Previously, the area that the tornado hit had been in a state of
drought for six months, possibly generating tornadic
conditions.[1]
Damage and
effects
Damage was extensive over the area, as countless trees were
uprooted and every home within a six square kilometer area of the
tornado's path was completely destroyed.[1]
After the storm hit, an article in the Bangladesh Observer stated
that "The devastation was so complete, that barring some skeletons
of trees, there were no signs of standing infrastructures".[1]
The tornado was estimated to be approximately one mile wide, and
had a path that was about 50 miles long, through the poor areas and slums of Bangladesh.[2]
Approximately 80,000 people were left homeless by the storm, and
12,000 people were injured by the storm.[3] Saturia and Manikganj were both fully destroyed by the
tornado.[4] The Fujita Scale rating of this storm is
unknown due to poor housing construction and lack of data. In
Bangladesh, housing construction in the poor areas is very poor, so
sometimes a strong gust of wind may knock over a home and kill the
residents inside. This is also why the vast majority of homes hit
by the tornado were leveled.[1]
Frequency
Tornadoes are fairly common in Bangladesh as it is one of the
most frequently hit countries in the world, behind the United States and
Canada.[5]
Bangladesh has received other deadly tornadoes such as this one
(see List of Asian
tornadoes and tornado outbreaks), but this particular storm was
the worst one in the country's history.[5]
References
- Cerveny, Randy (2005). Freaks
of the Storm: From Flying Cows to Stealing Thunder: The World's
Strangest True Weather Stories. Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN
1560258012.
See also
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