DHAKA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A 15-feet (5-metre) high water surge triggered by a super cyclone that battered Bangladesh overnight has devastated three coastal towns with a combined population of 700,000, officials said on Friday.

The towns of Patuakhali, Barguna and Jhalakathi were inundated by the surge on Thursday night, cutting off communication links. A government official in Dhaka said there was no immediate information about casualties from the area.

(Reporting by Nizam Ahmed and Anis Ahmed; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

AlertNet news is provided by