Telephone Lines Still Cut Off in Parts of Arakan

Narinjara News Mon May 5
Sittwe: Storms from the Bay of Bengal frequently hit the Arakanese coast near Bangladesh, but Arakan State was lucky to escape the worst of the recent attack of cyclone Nargis in Burma.

Some townships in southern Arakan State, however, did suffer minor damage in the storm. Those townships include Gwa, Thandwe, Taungup, Ann, and Rambree.

According to a local source, the most affected area in Arakan is Gwa Township located close to the Irrawaddy Division, with some buildings damaged and some trees uprooted by the cyclone.

However, there has been no further information on the aftermath of the attack of cyclone Nargis in the area because communications have not yet been restored since the storm hit.

An official from Sittwe said the telephone lines in five townships in Arakan State are still down and it is currently impossible to connect to any phones in the affected area.

Narinjara made several calls to the towns of Thandwe and Taungup yesterday, but was only able to get a busy tone on the line.

Cyclone Nargis struck Burma on 3 May with estimated wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. 351 people have been reported dead so far, with thousands of buildings damaged and thousands of people left homeless.

Source