Bangladesh and Myanmar cleaned up on Friday after a killer cyclone wrecked thousands of homes, relieved that the damage was not much worse after the storm weakened as it made landfall.
At least 40 people were either killed by Cyclone Mahasen or while trying to flee its impact, including 25 Muslim Rohingya whose bodies washed up on the shores of Bangladesh after their boat capsized while sailing from Myanmar.
Fifteen people were confirmed as having been killed in Bangladesh by Mahasen, which lashed the southern coast with winds of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour before being downgraded to a tropical depression.
But there was relief that the toll was not higher, given that cyclones have killed hundreds of thousands of people in both countries in recent decades.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has "expressed gratitude to the Almighty" in Mahasen's aftermath and asked people to "offer thanksgiving prayers", her spokesman Abul Kalam Azad told reporters.
At one stage, up to a million people had taken refuge in makeshift shelters along the Bangladeshi coast, mainly in the densely-populated stretch between the second city of Chittagong and the Cox's Bazaar tourist region.
Most people however have since returned home after the storm passed over, heading towards India as its strength waned.
Hundreds of thousands of people who live in low-lying areas and islands in the vast Meghna river estuary were the most affected, as thousands of their houses were levelled by the cyclone.
"At least 15,000 mud-built houses were damaged by the cyclone in our district," Sirajul Islam, government administrator of Noakhali district, told AFP, adding villagers and fishermen in remote river shoals were the worst hit.
It was a similar picture in Laxmipur district, home to many remote river shoals and islands.
"We've evacuated more than 20,000 people from some islands but most of them are returning home to today," district administrator Mizanur Rahman told AFP.
"We're making a full assessment of the total damages but we know that hundreds of homes were flattened.
"We're also distributing rice to the most affected people."
All 15 of the deaths in Bangladesh were reported in the province of Barisal.
"We're still assessing the damage. We've sent our officials to do surveys. We'll get a full picture by end of today," said provincial commissioner Nurul Amin as he confirmed the toll.
He said an estimated 3,000 mud and tin-roofed houses were flattened by cyclone. "Tens of thousands of trees have fallen on the roads, disrupting communication to some of the worst hit areas."
Bangladesh authorities said the bodies of the Rohingya were found washed up on a beach near the Myanmar border.
"We assume they are of the missing Rohingya" due to their clothing, Cox's Bazaar police chief Mohammad Azad Mia told AFP. Twenty of the bodies were those of children.
Across the border in Myanmar, some 70,000 people were evacuated from villages and camps which are home to large numbers of Rohingya.
However a spokesman for the state government, Win Myaing, said there were no reports of deaths or serious damage.
"There is no more danger from the storm," he said.
He said some of the Rohingya who were evacuated from the camps would return to their tents or shelters, while others would be moved to wooden barracks that the government has been building for them.
"We're working quickly to finish them all by the middle of next month. We're trying to finish them before the rainy season," he said of the new accommodation.
India's meteorological department said Mahasen was now headed over northeastern parts of the country such as Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.
But it is now officially a tropical depression and unlikely to do more than trigger flooding in isolated regions.
AFP
Fri May 17 2013
VOP akan diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan - Ahmad
Pelaksanaan Syarat Perubahan Harga (VOP) susulan penyasaran subsidi diesel dijangka diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan lagi, kata Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Industri minyak sawit disaran guna semula sisa untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan - Liew
Industri minyak sawit perlu mengkaji penggunaan semula sisa sebagai stok suapan penting untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan (SAF), di luar penggunaan tradisional minyak sawit.
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab.
MAA semak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan 2024 kepada 765,000 unit
Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) telah menyemak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan bermotor baharu bagi 2024 kepada 765,000 unit daripada anggaran sebelumnya sebanyak 740,000 unit.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya.
Rasionalisasi RON95 dijangka beri impak lebih besar kepada PKS - SAMENTA
SAMENTA menjangkakan rasionalisasi RON95 akan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) berbanding pelarasan subsidi diesel.
Malaysia sasar pengeluaran 40 peratus sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030
Malaysia menyasarkan pengeluaran 40 peratus hasil sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030 dalam usaha membantu mengimbangi keperluan perikanan negara.
10 Berita Pilihan - (16 Julai 2024
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp
Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC) memberi tempoh tiga bulan kepada Perbadanan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRD Corp) untuk mengemukakan laporan tindakan susulan terhadap syor jawatankuasa itu.
Kylian Mbappe tandatangan kontrak dengan Real Madrid
Bintang bola sepak Perancis Kylian Mbappe menandatangani kontrak selama lima tahun dengan kelab Sepanyol Real Madrid pada Selasa.
Siklon Remal: Wisma Putra pantau impak di India, Bangladesh
Wisma Putra dalam satu kenyataan mengingatkan rakyat Malaysia yang berada di kawasan yang terjejas untuk sentiasa berwaspada.
Ahli Parlimen parti pemerintah Bangladesh dibunuh semasa lawatan ke India
Anwarul Azim Anar, 56, seorang Ahli Parlimen selama tiga penggal pergi ke India pada 12 Mei dan hilang pada hari berikutnya.
Mesir galas jawatan Presiden D8, utamakan PKS dan pertumbuhan berasaskan teknologi
Mesir telah mengambil alih jawatan Presiden Pertubuhan Kerjasama Ekonomi Lapan Negara Membangun (D8) untuk tempoh sehingga akhir 2025, menggantikan Bangladesh.
Lelaki maut dipijak gajah di Gua Musang
Dalam kejadian jam 5 petang itu, mangsa berusia 29 tahun maut di lokasi akibat kecederaan parah.
Suhu cecah 42 celsius, Bangladesh tutup semua sekolah sehingga Sabtu
Untuk rekod, ini merupakan tahun kedua berturut-turut pihak berkuasa Bangladesh mengambil langkah sama akibat cuaca ekstrem.
Umat Islam di Bangladesh, India dan Pakistan mula berpuasa pada Selasa
Arab Saudi mengumumkan anak bulan kelihatan pada Ahad dan Isnin merupakan hari pertama Ramadan.
Bangladesh hantar pulang 330 warga Myanmar
Bangladesh menghantar pulang kira-kira 330 warga Myanmar yang mencari perlindungan di negara itu, di tengah-tengah konflik di sempadan.
Menteri Luar India, Bangladesh bincang situasi di Myanmar
Menteri Luar India dan Bangladesh mengadakan perbincangan berhubung situasi di Myanmar.
Lebih ramai Rohingya lari ke Bangladesh susulan pertempuran etnik di Myanmar
Ramai telah menyeberang ke kem pelarian Rohingya di tenggara Cox's Bazar yang menempatkan kira-kira 1.2 juta komuniti Islam dari Myanmar.
Hari pertama 2024, ratusan warga asing di Brickfields 'digempur' Imigresen
Dalam serbuan itu, seramai 370 warga asing telah diperiksa manakala lebih 100 daripada mereka didapati melakukan kesalahan di bawah Akta Imigresen 1959/63.