An evacuation of one million people has been carried out in Bangladesh as Cyclone Mahasen hit land bringing with it gale-force winds and heavy rain.
The country has raised its storm warning to seven, on a scale with a maximum of 10.
The storm has already killed at least seven people and displaced 3,881 in Sri Lanka as it tracked across the Bay of Bengal towards Bangladesh.
Some reports have claimed as many as 18 deaths are related to Mahasen in Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka.
A boat carrying Rohingya Muslims in neighbouring Myanmar capsized at on Monday after hitting rocks off Pauktaw in Rakhine State while evacuating ahead of the storm.
Official media reports said 42 people were rescued but 58 were missing.
Mahasen weakened slightly overnight, but still remains a category one cyclone.
"The government has ordered the evacuation of about one million people from 15 coastal districts," said the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"As per the latest storm trajectory, 4.1 million people have been identified as living in at risk areas in the districts of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar."
A storm surge of up to 7ft (2.1m) is expected to hit Bangladesh's delta.
The country has raised its storm warning to seven, on a scale with a maximum of 10.
The storm has already killed at least seven people and displaced 3,881 in Sri Lanka as it tracked across the Bay of Bengal towards Bangladesh.
Some reports have claimed as many as 18 deaths are related to Mahasen in Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka.
A boat carrying Rohingya Muslims in neighbouring Myanmar capsized at on Monday after hitting rocks off Pauktaw in Rakhine State while evacuating ahead of the storm.
Official media reports said 42 people were rescued but 58 were missing.
Mahasen weakened slightly overnight, but still remains a category one cyclone.
"The government has ordered the evacuation of about one million people from 15 coastal districts," said the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"As per the latest storm trajectory, 4.1 million people have been identified as living in at risk areas in the districts of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar."
A storm surge of up to 7ft (2.1m) is expected to hit Bangladesh's delta.
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