The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has shut down ferry services until further notice on several major routes around the country, ahead of the landfall of super cyclone Amphan.
The routes include Paturia-Doulatdia, Shimulia-Kathalbari, Chandpur-Shariatpur, Bhola-Lakshmipur, and Bheduria-Laharhat, the BIWTC said in a press release on Tuesday.
Super cyclone Amphan is now only 700 kilometres away from Bangladesh coastal area with wind speed rising up to 245 kilometres per hour (kph), Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a special bulletin on Tuesday.
Until 9am, the cyclone was located at 845 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 795 kilometres southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 730 kilometres south-southwest of Mongla port and 725 kilometres south-southwest of Payra port.
It is likely to move towards in the north-northeasternly direction and may cross the Bangladesh coast from Khulna-Chittagong belt between late night of Tuesday and evening of Wednesday.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 90 kilometres of the cyclone centre is about 225kph, rising to 245kph in gusts and squalls. The sea will remain very high near the super cyclone centre.
