Bangladesh has issued a warning to all seaports as a cyclone from the Bay of Bengal arrives on its southern coast Friday.
Meteorologists said Hurricane Bulbul had winds of 66 to 88 kilometers per hour.
The cyclone was 775 kilometers southwest of Cox's Bazar province, in the far south of Bangladesh. Meteorologist Abdul Rahman said the hurricane could hit land at any moment between Saturday evening and Sunday.
The government meteorological agency said in a special bulletin that the force of the cyclone may intensify towards the southern coast of Bangladesh.
The Meteorological Authority advised the port authorities to remain on alert, to return fishing boats in the Gulf to the coast and to stay in safe places.
A report by US meteorological services company AkioWeather said Hurricane Bulbul, which had grown from a deep depression to a tropical storm, had turned into a hurricane this morning.
The company said the cyclone threatened flooding in northern India and Bangladesh. Heavy rains could hit parts of Bangladesh due to the impact of the storm, the report said.
Hundreds of local tourists were stranded on the island of St. Martin after Cox's Bazar authorities issued a decision to suspend shipping lines to the mainland.
The local administration has been instructed to provide care to tourists until shipping lines resume, said Ashraf al-Afsar, a senior provincial official.
A powerful cyclone devastated southeastern parts of Bangladesh on April 29, 1991, killing more than 100,000 people and displacing millions.