101 Terrifying Facts About The 1989 Bangladesh Tornado

Have you heard about the 1989 Bangladesh tornado?

The 1989 Bangladesh tornado is also known as the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado. On April 26, 1989, it hit the Manikaganj district of Bangladesh and was a massive twister and the worst tornado recorded in history.

Bangladesh is prone to tornados. It is hit by various tornados during the peak months of April and May. This is because of the Ganga Basin situated in Bangladesh.

Many storms occur in the basin region. These storms can cause tornado outbreaks due to the meeting of dry and cold winds with warm and moist winds. Bangladesh has a short tornado season running from April to May.

The Daulatpur-Saturia tornado is considered one of the worst tornadoes to ever hit Bangladesh. Initially, the death toll was a lot less but after two to three days the numbers started increasing alarmingly.

Before the deadliest tornado in Bangladesh, these regions were suffering from drought. On 26th April 1989, the tornado struck the Daulatpur region at about 6.30 p.m. It was an F3 tornado. It then started moving in the east direction towards the Saturia and Manikanj region.

The size of this tornado was 9.94 mi (16 km) long and 0.93 mi (1.5 km) wide. It killed thousands of people and injured many. Trees were uprooted and buildings were destroyed. The wind speed was more than 200 mph (321.86 kph) and was the tornado was considered an F3 tornado.

An estimation of the fatalities suggested that more than 1,300 people were killed and over 12,000 were injured during the deadliest tornado in the history of tornadoes. Many cities including Daulatpur, Saturia, Dhaka, and Manikanj district were severely hit.

After reading about the infamous storm and tornado that wreaked havoc in Bangladesh, also check the 1966 North Dakota blizzard and the 1944 Vesuvius eruption.

What areas were affected by the tornado?

Bangladesh is a tornado-prone country. It is third on the list of highest tornado frequency. Every year Bangladesh is hit by approximately six tornadoes. It has a short tornado season running from April to May. Most of them hit the country during April.

Since it has a dense population, the tornadoes result in the deaths of many people and damage to the buildings and infrastructure. Various tornadoes which hit Bangladesh caused severe destruction, but the deadliest tornado in Bangladesh’s history is the 1989 Bangladesh tornado. During this tornado, the death toll reached over 1,300.

At 6.30 p.m., on April 26, 1989, the tornado struck the Daulatpur region of Bangladesh. It started moving towards the east direction and hit Dhaka, Saturia, and Manikanj Sadar regions. The Saturia and Manikanj were severely destroyed.

The lifespan of the tornado was short but its intensity was of high magnitude. Thousands of people were injured and approximately 1,300 were killed. Many buildings and infrastructure were completely destroyed, leaving a large number of people homeless.

The overall damage was estimated to be approximately $1.5 million. The crops were destroyed and the country had to take financial and medical help from foreign countries and organizations.

The devastation and destruction had a great impact on the economy of the country.

How long did it take to recover from the tornado?

Storms and tornados have caused a lot of destruction in the region but when the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado, the most destructive and deadliest tornado, hit on April 26, 1989, Bangladesh suffered a lot of loss and damage.

Over 1,300 people were killed, 12,000 were injured, and 80,000 people became homeless. The five major districts of Dhaka were hit by the F3 tornado which destroyed over 20 villages. Most of the damage was faced by the Daulatpur and Saturia regions. Various buildings, roads, phone lines, power lines, telephone poles, crops, and livestock were destroyed.

Bangladesh is a developing country and over 20% of the total population lives under the poverty line. The population density is also high. To make matters worse, it is a tornado-prone country. Most of the tornados occur during the months of April and May.

Every year Bangladesh is hit by about six tornados. The 1989 tornado of Bangladesh hit on April,26. It is considered one of the worst tornados to ever hit Bangladesh for a reason. It brought a lot of destruction and caused many deaths. Homes, crops, villages, and livestock were severely damaged.

The death toll reached 1,300 and many people went missing. Even after two days of the tornado, not all dead bodies were recovered. Various organizations and the Bangladesh Army worked diligently to provide medical help to the people of Bangladesh. Since most of the crops were destroyed, people suffered from hunger too.

The government of Bangladesh took medical and financial help from various foreign organizations and countries. It took Bangladesh several months to recover from the destruction caused by the 1989 Daulatpur-Saturia tornado.

What were the economic implications of the tornado?

Tornadoes cause a lot of damage to the economy of a country. A lot of people are killed and infrastructure is destroyed. The crops and livestock are also damaged. The Daulatpur-Saturia tornado of 1989 is one of the deadliest tornadoes in history.

The Daulatpur-Saturia tornado struck various regions of Dhaka on April 26, 1989. It was an F3 tornado. It began with a storm. This tornado caused a lot of damage to humans, infrastructure, crops, livestock, and various other assets of the country.

It caused a huge loss to the economy of the country. The citizens of a country play an important role in contributing to the economy of a country. In the tornado, over 1,300 people were killed and more than 80,000 were injured. It affected their work and some lost their mode of income too.

The roads, power lines, phone lines, crops, homes, and infrastructure were destroyed. Later, lakhs were spent to rebuild all the infrastructures. There was a shortage of food as the crops were destroyed. Bangladesh also suffered from financial and medical crises.

The 1989 tornado caused damage of about $1.5 million. The quality of life deteriorated significantly. The poor people living in the regions hit by the tornado suffered the most. They lost their family members, homes, and even their source of income.

It took several months for people to recover from the after-effects of the tornado and this impacted the economy pretty badly.

Has there been a worse tornado in Bangladesh since then?

The worst tornado to ever hit Bangladesh was the Daulatpur-Saturia Tornado of 1989. It was an EF5-rated tornado with winds of over 200 mph (321.86 kph). This storm caused a lot of destruction in Bangladesh.

Over 1,300 people died, 12,000 were injured, and 80,000 lost their homes. Buildings, power lines, communication, and crops were severely hit.

After the 1989 tornado of Bangladesh, another major tornado hit the country in 1996. It did not bring that much destruction but still led to many deaths and many people were injured as well. It hit various regions including Tangali, Jamalpur, and Sirajganj on May 13, 1996.

It was an F2 tornado and lasted for about thirty minutes. The wind speed was approximately 125 mph (201.16 kph). Over 600 people were killed, about 37,000 were injured, and 100,000 people were left homeless. This hit approximately 90 villages of Bangladesh and caused severe damage to buildings, roads, power lines, crops, and others.

But till now the Daukatpur-Saturia tornado of April 26, 1989, is considered the worst tornado in the history of Bangladesh and the world. It greatly impacted central Bangladesh and left it with hunger, financial, and medical crises. This nation has suffered from some of the deadliest tornadoes in the world.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 101 Terrifying Facts About The 1989 Bangladesh Tornado then why not take a look at the 1985 earthquake in Mexico or the 1939 Australia fire.