Tropical Cyclone Mahasen has weakened into a tropical storm, the UN relief agency said on Thursday.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), "Tropical Cyclone Mahasen has been downgraded to a tropical storm, as it has weakened in the past 24 hours," said Eduardo del Buey, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon, at the daily briefing.

An estimated one million people were evacuated on Wednesday night and Thursday morning ahead of the storm, which made landfall north of Chittagong, a main seaport city of Bangladesh, del Buey said. "The UN is committed to working with the government to provide support."

The cyclone slammed into the coastlines of Bangladesh on Thursday, leaving a trail of devastation and killing 10 people.

"In Myanmar, while the storm has moved further away from the country, rain is still expected. Aid organizations have some 250 staff on standby to respond," said del Buey.

The government estimates that nearly 78,000 people in Rakhine State have been relocated to safer places as of Wednesday to avoid possible danger of cyclone.

"Assessment teams are expected to visit affected areas as soon as possible after the storm subsides. Monitoring continued on Thursday at various camps," the deputy spokesperson said.

Community leaders, religious leaders and international aid organizations are working together to help alleviate the concerns of people who have been resistant to moving to safer areas, del Buey added. Enditem

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