Cyclone Roanu nears Bangladesh; five dead, thousands evacuated

Dhaka: At least five people have been killed due to strong winds and heavy downpour in parts of Southern Bangladesh, hinting the risk of Cyclone Roanu that has hit Sri Lanka. Several hundreds of people are forced to flee their homes amid cyclone warnings.

Bangladesh authorities have shifted around 60,000 people to safer places after a heavy downpour was poised to hit the area.

It is reported that cyclone may hit the Bangladesh coast around 12:00 pm local time (0600 GMT) packing winds of 88 kilometres (54 miles) per hour.

Heavy rains may also cause flooding in various villages and towns, leaving the people in fear.

"It will make the landfall between the Barisal and Chittagong coast," said Ruhul Quddus, a forecaster in the government's meteorological department.

"The peripheral wind of the cyclone has already hit the coastal areas," he added.

The Meteorological Department has warned of landslides in South-Eastern hill districts.