Dhaka: Huge tidal waves lashed Bangladesh on Wednesday, leaving two children dead, about 400 fishermen missing and thousands others stranded, officials said.

Sea water flooded the towns of Patuakhali and Cox's Bazaar, displacing thousands of residents fleeing the waves, rain and winds.

Weather officials said the surge was triggered by a "depression" in the northern Bay, which is expected to continue for a couple of days before crossing India's Orissa coast.

Waves from the storm have inundated Patuakhali and dozens of islands along the coasts, officials and weather monitors said.

The children drowned in Cox's Bazar beach district.

Fishing community leaders said around 400 fishermen were missing at sea.
"The Bay has been very rough since Monday, when dozens of boats managed to return to the shores, but about 400 others are still unaccounted for," one said.

Hundreds of homes and farms were also damaged in the floods, officials said.