A powerful cyclone packing winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour (kph) hit northeastern coastlines after overnight evacuation of thousands of people to safety.

‘The severe cyclonic storm ‘Mora’ over North Bay moved northwards and has started crossing Cox’s Bazar-Chittagong Coast . . . it is likely to move in a northerly direction further,’ the met office said in its latest weather bulletin this morning.

It said the wind speed within 64kms of the cyclone’s centre point was packing up to 117kph inflating the sea level and inundating low lying areas of the coastlines under five feet high tidal surges.

The met office last night issued the highest warning system known as ‘great danger signal 10’ in a scale of 10 for the north-eastern sea ports of Chittagong and Cox’ Bazar and great danger signal no 8 for southwestern Mongla and Pyra ports.

Officials and media reports so far suggested no casualties expecting the tidal surge to cause little harm to human lives in view of a massive evacuation campaign at the coastal villages.

‘The people were moved out to at least 400 cyclone shelters or safer places like schools and government offices in the coastal areas,’ a disaster management ministry spokesman earlier told newsmen.

But the reports suggested several hundred houses were leveled or washed out as the surges accompanied by the severe storm lashed out the low lying areas of the coastlines and offshore islands including the St Martin.

The storm came as authorities overnight suspended air traffic operations in two airports of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar and closed temporarily operations in Chittagong to evade infrastructure damage alongside halting movement of ferries or launches in internal riverine routes.

The cyclone formed after heavy rains in Sri Lanka caused floods and landslides killing some 180 people.