The number of launch passengers in Chandpur has decreased dramatically this morning as people in the coastal areas of the country brace for Cyclone Mocha, which has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.

Launches were leaving the Chandpur Launch Terminal with many seats empty this morning, our local correspondent reports.

There was very thin presence of passengers in the largest passenger launch, Eagle-3, which was bound for Dhaka.

Ali Asgar, supervisor of the terminal, said every day the launch left the terminal at full capacity, but today the number of passengers was very low today.

Other launches including Sonar Tori, which left at 6:00am, also had very few passengers, he said.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Association (BIWTA) Traffic Inspector Abdur Rahman said, "There is a cautionary signal 1 at the Chandpur port due to the cyclone. We are on the highest alert."

Meanwhile, members of Coast Guard been been alerting people at and around the terminal through loudspeakers about the impending cyclone since yesterday afternoon.

Cyclone Mocha is likely to cross southeast Bangladesh and north Myanmar between Cox's Bazar and Kyaukpyu around noon of May 14 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 150-160kmph, gusting up to 175kmph.