Bangladesh on cyclone alert, boats called in

DHAKA, May 14 (Reuters) Bangladesh went on cyclone alert today as officials warned the storm in the Bay of Bengal could trigger a tidal surge (1.8 metres) high.

The storm is currently some 310 km from Chittagong port and is expected to make landfall tomorrow, meteorologists said.

People living in coastal areas have been told to move to safer places, while merchant and fishing vessels have been advised to return to port or take shelter at nearby islands.

Twenty merchant ships have been stranded at Chittagong, the country's main port, after it suspended operations following the storm warning.

Flights between the capital Dhaka and Chittagong, and ferry services with coastal districts have also been suspended.

Bangladesh Air Force said it had moved its planes from the Chittagong air base to Dhaka to avoid damage.

The third and final one-day cricket match between India and Bangladesh due to be played in Chittagong tomorrow was likely to be called off, an official said. ''It cannot be held when there is a national disaster alert,'' he said.

Thousands of volunteers from Bangladesh's Cyclone Preparedness Centre and the Red Crescent Society were on stand-by to help evacuate people.

''We have started alerting people over loudspeakers about the the likely storm and telling them to evacuate themselves,'' a government official said.

Tropical storms and cyclones kill hundreds of Bangladeshis every year. One of the worst cyclones to hit the country killed 138,000 people in 1991.

REUTERS TB VV2037