Thousands evacuated as cyclone heads for Bangladesh

Villagers shelter at a school in the town of Cox's Bazar in southern Bangladesh on July 30, 2015 as Cyclone Komen approaches.

Dhaka (AFP) - A cyclone set to hit the Bangladesh coast later Thursday has already killed three people and forced the evacuation of thousands from mainly poor fishing communities, police and other officials said.

Cyclone Komen, forming in the Bay of Bengal, has destroyed dozens of makeshift homes on Bangladesh's southernmost point of Saint Martin's island as it moves towards the coast, local police chief Ataur Rahman said.