Satellite Images Show Scale Of Damage In Myanmar In Wake Of Cyclone Mocha

Tens of thousands of people in Myanmar were cut off from contact after a deadly cyclone tore through the west of the country and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Cyclone Mocha - one of the most powerful storms to hit the Bay of Bengal in more than a decade - made landfall between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar's Sittwe on Sunday.

Satellite images released by Maxar yesterday shows utter devastation in Myanmar's Sittwe.

The satellite images collected after the storm, compared to those taken on February 17, show significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in Rakhine's capital of Sittwe.

Cyclone trackers say Sittwe bore the brunt of the storm.

Power pylons hung low over deserted streets of the city and trees still standing were stripped of leaves.

The storm severely disrupted communications in Rakhine, making it hard to ascertain the scale of its impact. More than 860 houses and 14 hospitals or clinics had been damaged across Myanmar, officials said.

The storm also caused damage to Rohingya refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where about a million people live in 190,000 bamboo and tarpaulin shelters.

Some 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh ahead of Cyclone Mocha making landfall, as authorities and aid agencies scrambled to avoid heavy casualties.

Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

In 2008, Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, killing at least 138,000 people.