At least 242 people were killed late Thursday as the tropical cyclone Sidr hit the southern coastal region of Bangladesh with 150 mph winds, said government officials on Friday.

Almost 650,000 villagers were evacuated before the cyclone headed inland on Friday when it lost some of its strength.

According to CNN meteorologists, cyclone Sidr hit the coastal region around 9:45 p.m. carrying heavy rain and high waves.

Nahid Sultana, an official at a cyclone control room in Dhaka, said that 242 villagers were killed mostly from the debris that was falling.

Early Friday the cyclone transformed into a tropical storm and was moving northeast inland with a wind speed of 37 mph, Guardian Unlimited reports.

The low areas from fifteen coastal districts were inundated by cyclone’s waves that were up to 4 feet.

Selva Sinnadurai, head of the International Federation of the Red Cross delegation in Bangladesh, said that power and telephone lines were also down and that communications with offshore islands were temporarily lost.

Some streets in Dhaka were flooded late Thursday by torrential rain.

Residents from coastal districts of Bagerhat, Barguna, Bhola and Barisal said that mud huts, crops and fish farms, trees were flattened by the storm. Also road, rail, river transport suffered from the storm.

Having a low land area, Bangladesh is subject to seasonal cyclones and floods causing losses of life.

Villagers moved to cyclone shelters or “mud forts”, which are mud walls that are built along the coast to resist tidal surges. Schools, mosques and public buildings were used as shelters.

Ali Imam Majumder, a senior government official, said that 650,000 people were moved to shelters and were receiving emergency rations. Medicine, dry foods, tents and blankets were given by authorities.

India remained on alert, according to army officials.

A warning was issued by U.S. Embassy in Delhi saying: “heavy rains, flooding, strong winds, damage to buildings, and other life-threatening conditions.”

The statement that was issued on Tuesday said: “Immediately prepare for the possibility that they could be without power and/or communications and unable to move by road for some time if the storm hits their area. Airports and seaports are also likely to be closed should the storm intensify as expected.”

It seems that Bangladesh had to bear the effects of the storm just months after it was hit by monsoon rains that brought misery in the country

According to the U.N., the flooding from August in India, Nepal and Bangladesh was  “the worst flooding in living memory.”