Chandrima S. Bhattacharya
Published 31.10.24, 05:59 AM
On this day, Bengal was struck by a devastating cyclone, referred to as the Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876.
The cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal and hit land at Backerganj near the Meghna estuary, now in Barisal district in Bangladesh.
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A high tide added to the devastation. It made the effects of the storm particularly deadly. A storm surge of about 12 metres inundated the low, coastal areas.
About 2,15,000 people lost their lives.
More than a lakh died in the cholera epidemic that followed.
Many were to die from starvation that was caused by the flooding.
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