Bangladesh raised its warning level Wednesday as cyclonic storm "Mahasen" approached which has brought lashing rains and strong winds to the country's southern coast, home to millions of poverty-ridden people.

The danger signal No. 7 has been sounded for all ports in Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong where fishing boats, trawlers and maritime vessels over the north bay have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.

Meteorologist Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik told Xinhua that the cyclone, which has already affected Sri Lanka, will likely make landfall somewhere near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in the early hours of Thursday.

In its latest special bulletin, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said the cyclone, at about 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, was centered about 875 km southwest of the country's premier Chittagong seaport, some 242 km southeast of capital Dhaka, 815 km southwest of Cox's Bazaar seaport, about 391 km southeast of Dhaka, and 760 km south southwest of Mongla port, about 178 km south of Dhaka.

Chittagong Seaport Authority spokesman Syed Farhad Uddin said loading and unloading of goods at the premier seaport have already been suspended due to inclement weather.

He said the port authorities recommended all the vessels to head to safer waters.

Shah Amanat International Airport in Bangladesh's seaport city Chittagong will be closed as of 4 p.m Wednesday until further notice due to the cyclonic weather conditions, said a Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) official in Dhaka.

The official who preferred to be unnamed said the relevant authorities have been asked to take all movable valuables to safer places.

According to the BMD bulletin, under the influence of the storm the low-lying areas of 15 coastal districts of and their offshore islands are likely to be inundated by storm surge of 5-7 feet height above normal astronomical tide.

Many of the coastal districts and their offshore islands are likely to experience wind speed up to 80-90 KPH in gusts/ squalls with the passage of the storm, it said.

As the "Mahasen" gathers strength in the Bay of Bengal and continues to move towards the country's coastal belt, the Bangladeshi government, as part of its preparation, has already canceled the leave of all government employees in over a dozen coastal districts.

Mesbah Ul Alam, secretary of Bangladesh's Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, said around 3,770 cyclone shelters have been kept ready and they will be opened immediately in case of any emergency.

"We've also asked our local authorities to remain alert so that evacuation of thousands of people from Bangladesh's coastlines can be done in a short notice in an emergency situation, " he said, adding "Some 50,000 volunteers are also ready for emergency duties,"

Alam said the people of the district's coastal areas were alerted about the disaster through loudspeakers, mobile messages and relevant authorities to ensure that they can make the necessary preparations to shift to safe shelters before the cyclone hits.

Tornado and cyclones, killing hundreds of people every year, are common occurrences in this calamity-prone South Asian country of about 153 million people whose per capital income is still less than 1,000 U.S. dollars.

Super cyclone Aila swept across southern Bangladesh on May 25, 2009. It caused widespread damage and affected around 3 million people, leaving at least 179 dead.

Cyclone Aila was the biggest natural calamity in the South Asian delta country after the powerful cyclone Sidr hit the country's southwestern coastal belt on Nov. 15, 2007, leaving more than 4,000 people dead or missing. Endit

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