Coastal Areas: Chittagong, Bangladesh

Chittagong, Bangladesh: COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh - A once-fearsome cyclone that was threatening Bangladesh and Myanmar dissipated quickly, causing some deaths but largely relieving authorities who had told more than 1 million people to leave vulnerable coastal areas in preparation for a far worse storm. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Coastal areas were spared major damage because it hit Thursday afternoon during low tide, causing no major tidal surge, he said. Bangladeshis shift a fishing boat from the Bay of Bengal coast anticipating Cyclone Mahasen in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Cyclone Mahasan weakened Thursday afternoon into a tropical storm with at least 18 deaths reported in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, but officials had prepared for a far greater storm. Bangladesh evacuated 1 million people from coastal areas and the United Nations warned that 8.2 million people could face life-threatening conditions. AP Photo/A.M. Ahad Cyclone Mahasan lost power as it shed huge amounts of rain and then veered west of its predicted path, sparing major Bangladeshi population areas, including Chittagong and the seaside resort of Cox's Bazar, said Mohammad Shah Alam, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.