3.2m to flee path of cyclone

A POWERFUL cyclone packing 240kmh winds slammed into Bangladesh last night, flattening homes, toppling trees and power poles, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee for shelters in this low-lying nation.

Tropical Cyclone Sidr swept in from the Bay of Bengal, buffeting the southwestern coastal areas within a 250km radius of its eye with heavy rain and storm surges predicted to reach 6m high.

No casualties were immediately reported, but rescue teams were on standby.