80 die in record Bangladesh cold snap

Uncategorized1

80 die in record Bangladesh cold snap

Posted 2 hours 40 minutes ago

Map Data – Terms of Use

Map

Map: Bangladesh
A cold snap which saw temperatures drop to 40-year lows in Bangladesh has killed around 80 people, officials said.

Shah Alam, the deputy head of the weather office, said the lowest temperature was recorded at 3 degrees Celsius in the northern town of Syedpur.

He said the last time the temperature dropped below that level was in February 1968 when Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan.

“The temperature is the lowest in Bangladesh’s history,” he said.

The Red Crescent said hospitals were packed with patients suffering respiratory illness.

The society’s general-secretary Abu Bakar said impoverished rural areas had been worst hit as many people could not afford warm clothing or heating.

“They are not prepared for such extreme weather. Many could not even go to work,” he said.

“According to the reports of our district offices and local administrations, about 80 people have died due to cold-related diseases such as respiratory problems, pneumonia and cough.”

Bangladesh, which is a tropical country, normally sees temperatures fall to around 10 degrees Celsius at this time of year.

The weather office said temperatures were expected to rise from Saturday.

AFP

One thought on “80 die in record Bangladesh cold snap

  1. Neville

    10 January, 2013

    COMPARE THIS TO THE RECORD HEATWAVES WE ARE GETTING.
    THERE ARE GLOBAL WEATHER RECORDS BEING BROKEN BOTH HOT AND COLD. THESE ARE NOT NORMAL WEATHER PATTERNS.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.