At least two deaths were reported Wednesday in Bangladesh and five in India  as Cyclone Yaas triggered storms and floods.

Reports sent by UNB correspondents indicate that dozens of houses have been damaged and low-lying areas inundated, cutting off road communication in some areas.

In Bhola, a man was killed after being hit by a falling tree branch during a storm triggered by Yaas in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Abu Taher, 48, a local farmer. Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Tawfiq-E-Lahi Chowdhury said Tk 20,000 has been provided to Taher’s family as assistance.

Bhola has been seeing drizzles and strong wind since Wednesday morning. Cyclone Yaas has made landfall in India’s Odisha.

Also read: 5 killed, damages incurred as cyclone Yaas completes landfall in eastern India

Child drowns in Bagerhat

Meanwhile, four-year-old Jinia died this afternoon after drowning near her house in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat.

Morrelganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Delwar Hossain said that the roads and drains of the Upazila have been inundated due to an unusual increase in the water level of Panguchi River.

Jinia fell into the overflowing drain and drowned, he said.

Meanwhile, at least 5,000 families in Sarankhola, Morrelganj and Mongla upazilas have been stranded today as water level in the rivers adjacent to these places have gone up due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas.

Besides, an embankment in Mongla was damaged at three places due to excessive tidal pressure leaving at least 500 families stranded in Kainmari, Sundartala, Kaltala, Jaymoni and South Kaimari villages of the upazila on Wednesday afternoon.

Also read: Cyclone Yaas: 2 reported dead in Bangladesh

Low-lying areas inundated in Khulna

Low-lying areas in Koyra, Dacope and Paikgachha upazilas of Khulna were inundated by tidal surge triggered by Cyclone Yaas.

The residents of the upazilas have been experiencing light rains or drizzles since Wednesday noon and the local administration has opened over 1,000 cyclone shelters.

The local Met Office, meanwhile, recorded 21mm rainfall in the past two days.

Lighter vessels sink in rough sea

Twelve crew members were rescued after a lighter ship capsized in the Bay of Bengal today in the rough sea near Bhasanchar due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas.

Squadron Leader Saiful Alom of Bangladesh Air Force, in charge of the rescue operations, confirmed UNB about the development.

“Two rescue helicopters reached the spot within a very short time from Patenga Air Force Base and rescued 12 crew members who were floating in the middle of the sea,” he said.

Also read: Ship capsize: Air Force helicopters rescue 12 sailors

In Chattogram, the coastal areas of Patenga have been submerged in tidal waters due to the impact of the cyclone. Water is entering the locality through the embankment damaged by the strong waves, according to our correspondent.

50 houses destroyed in Jhenaidah

Three persons were injured while some 50 houses were damaged in a storm at Armukhi village in Sadar upazila of Jhenaidah on Tuesday night.

Kabir Hossain, chairman of Naldanga Union, said a two-kilometre stretch of the village from Kutipara to West Para was flattened during the storm lasting for about 15-20 seconds.

The low-lying areas of Burigoalini union in Satkhira's Shyamnagar upazila have been inundated following heavy showers and the onrush of river water.

Some 15 areas, including Gabura, Koikhali, Munshiganj and Padmapukur in the Burigoalini area of the upazila, were flooded Tuesday night after the river water level rose by three-to-four foot.

However, hardly anyone has taken shelter at the cyclone shelters till Wednesday morning despite repeated appeals by the local administration.

Also read: Impact of cyclone Yaas: Child drowns, 5000 families stranded in Bagerhat

Navy ready for rescue, relief

Eighteen warships, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters of Bangladesh Navy are currently on the ground to tackle the effects of Cyclone Yaas.

As part of its three-tier preparations to carry out post-cyclone emergency rescue operations, the Navy has deployed 18 ships on in areas like Chattogram, Mongla, Barishal, Jhalokati, Barguna, Patuakhali, Khulna, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Narayanganj and Saint Martin’s Island.

Navy ships – Samudra Avijan, Sagar, Shadhinota, Prottoy, Nirmul, Shapla, Nirbhoy, Aporajoy, Adommo, Gomti, Hatia, Sandeep, Shah Paran, Shah Makdum, LCT-105, LCVP-011 and LCVP-013  – have taken necessary preparations to collect information regarding rescue operations in the sea areas alongside maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters, according to Inter Services Public Relation Directorate.

5 killed in India

Five people were killed on Wednesday after Yaas hit the coastal area of the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha, reports Xinhua.

The cyclone made landfall with marginally lower intensity with a wind speed of 130-140kmph.

In West Bengal, a youth who had moved to a cyclone shelter in the locality had come out of the shelter in Ramnagar 2 block of East Midnapore when the storm hit and he was drowned, local media reports said.

Two other people are reported to be killed in the coastal town of Digha in West Bengal, with one of them dying in a building collapse and another dragged out to sea, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

In the state of Odisha, two deaths have occurred.

"One person was killed in Panchapalli village of Keonjhar district in Odisha after a tree fell on him, while the body of a 15-year-old boy was found in a pond at Jagannath Khunta village in Mayurbhanj district," media reports quoted local officials as having said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the cyclone has completed landfall and is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours.