Myanmar and Bangladesh have evacuated thousands of people from coastal areas as Cyclone Mahasen approaches, authorities and news reports said Wednesday. According to dpa, Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a cyclone warning Wednesday evening, saying the storm was moving north-east from the Bay of Bengal and expected to hit landfall within 18 hours, with winds of about 110 kilometres per hour. "The current stage of cyclonic storm Mahasen is coded as Red color, which is moving towards between Bangladesh and Myanmar coasts," the department said. Waves of 2.4 to 3 metres are expected on the coastline. Myanmar has evacuated more than 166,000 people in its western Rakhine State, including some 27,000 refugees from last year's sectarian fighting.
