People had to salvage what they could from their homes

At least five people died in Tongi, north of Dhaka, when a tornado hit a crowded prayer hall, officials said.

Twisters also struck villages in south-western Faridpur district, and Bogra in the north-west, killing at least one person in each area.

Bangladesh is still struggling to recover from floods in July and August that killed at least 600 people.

Weather forecasters said the tornadoes were caused by a depression in India's Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states, which have caused continuous rainfall in Bangladesh for the last few days.

"I have never seen anything like it - there was an extremely strong wind with a roaring sound which made me feel that all houses will be ripped apart in a moment," Shaila Akhter, a 34-year-old woman in Tongi, told AFP news agency.

Dozens of people across the country have been injured in the tornadoes, which were also reported in the districts of Rajbari, Lakshmipur and Gopalgoni.