Myanmar and Bangladesh order mass evacuations as Cyclone Mocha set to hit on Sunday afternoon

A man sits by the seafront in Sittwe in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on May 12, 2023, ahead of the expected arrival of Cyclone Mocha. Cyclone Mocha is forecast to make landfall on May 14 along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, according to India's meteorological office, packing winds of up to 175 kilometres (108 miles) per hour. (Photo by SAI Aung MAIN / AFP)

YANGON, May 13 (Bloomberg): Bangladesh and Myanmar have warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate ahead of a severe cyclone that’s set to hit the two nations on Sunday afternoon (May 13), potentially causing widespread destruction to one of the most vulnerable areas in the region.

Wind speeds could be as high as 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour at the time of Cyclone Mocha’s landfall, according to the latest forecast from the India Meteorological Department.